Plumas-Eureka Mine State Park, Jonesville CA
Faces looking up at me through sepia tints of age;
Bride and groom,traditionally posed, he seated
She resting her hand on his shoulder,
Dress in their fanciest finery.
A group of boyhood chums,
Arms around each others' shoulders,
Hats at a rakish angle, perched on a fence-rail,
Laughing out at us in teen-age abandon.
Tall skiers propped on long skis, smiling,
Their sunburned faces dark shadows
Against the backdrop of sun -
Their healthy zest for life bursting though.
The museum's collection impresses me
With artifacts of this by-gone era:
Gold mining tools, mine diagrams,
Funnels, scales, core samples.
But the images captured by unseen cameramen
Beckon me back again to will life into those
Hopeful newlyweds, prankish young boys,,
Long-dead, handsome skiers.
They don't make folks like that anymore, do they?
Boy, how could they have stood the cold?
How did women keep up their spirits and keep warm?
Quiet and admiring comments from visitors close by.
A small well-kept cemetery is filled with reminders
Of those hardy, propelled people:
Italians, Irishmen, Slavs, Germans,
All represented in ethnic isolation and solidarity.
Tall pine trees surround this tiny spot,
Sheltering them all in regal shade.
Are the happy newlyweds resting here,
Those adventerous and happy teen-agers
Those lean, intrepid skiers?
The photos in the museum were unmarked,
But these tomb engravings give wings to my imagination:
Mary, Beloved Wife
James, Honorable and Loving Husband.
WWI Survivor, Miner
Native of Ireland, Miner
Native of Italy, Miner,
Native of Jonesville,
Undefeated long-distance Skier.
