It was way back in the summer of 1972.
I went to where, in the pictures, the sky always seemed to be blue.
For me it was the state of Laurel Canyon and the Beach Boys
where the waves, birds and insects were the dominant background noise.
Get in that open top hire car driving through Pacific Grove.
Seventeen miles of God's creation, every beach, every cove.
But there's one special thing that I, and others, have come to see
akin to a pilgrimage like seeing God's face in a tree.
It seeded before the independence of the USA,
been battered by wind, shrouded in fog, showered in ocean spray.
Standing atop a granite headland that's shaped like Gibraltar,
like a sentry, alone like some jilted groom at the altar.
You could almost believe the bluff was put there just for this tree.
Once there I feel it's a place steeped in spirituality.
There are some who take a photo, shrug and then move quickly on.
To go near would be like having an illicit liaison.
Supported now by steel cables, its very own Zimmer Frame.
Once you've spent time with the Lone Cypress you'll never be the same.
9/7/2026
The Words That Got to Me
where the waves, birds and insects were the dominant background noise. *I swear, I read this and immediately heard it all!!! like a sentry, alone like some jilted groom at the altar. *This is Classic BernietheBard fare right here!! So, so exceptional. Zimmer Frame. *Thank you for making me smarter today (you seem to do that a L OT!!) I had to look this one up.
Hmmm. Either I lead a very sheltered and cloistered existence (not impossible...) or I've become a NY xenophobe who espouses that nothing good could exist on the opposite coast. All I can tell you, Bernie, is that of this is brand new to me. So, thank you for enlightening me and evoking so much curiosity that I'm going to be researching this further! It's fascinating! Also, the musician in me feels that this kind of reads like a song the Beach Boys would produce, doesn't it? Was that your thought when you composed it? It has that kind of dreamy, a little bit bouncy, but mostly "rockin'" sense to it that was their signature. Anyway, for any number of reasons, this is a piece I enjoyed very much. Thank you! xoxo