'Twas Two Days After Christmas

'Twas two days after Christmas and to our dismay,
Alex and I could not hike a 4K.
Sleet was forecast, as well as cold rain.
I don't care for that and Lex thinks it a pain
to shiver and dodge the cold drops that fall fast.
Therefore, we decided to stay down in Mass.

We needed hard exercise -- where could we go?
Habitat? Walden Pond? We just didn't know.
Those places are nice, an urbanite's finest.
But they're no substitute for New Hampshire's highest.

Then suddenly into my head came a plan!
Why not hike to Boston! That's perhaps not as grand
as ascending Mt. Adams or Mt. Lafayette,
but the Charles ain't so bad, and I wouldn't get
out my bivy, the winter bag or the spare clothes.
We'd go without packs and feel light on our toes.

So off we set, waiting until the day
had lost quite a bit of its mid-morning gray.
Then we took to our feet and walked briskly along,
the both of us sometimes bursting into song.
We voiced Christmas carols -- the absolute best of them --
and ignored the stares of the other pedestrians.



Our pace was quite quick since the surface was smooth.
When one walks on sidewalk there's nothing to lose.
No rocks, roots or spruce traps, no postholing mahem...
those folks who think that we're nuts -- who can blame them?
We happily endure the cold and the heat,
just to reach some distant, remote, far-off peak.
We trip and we sweat and we freeze and we gripe,
but still those grand mountains infuse us with Life.
They are the reminder of Beauty, no less --
but forgive me for it does seem that I have digressed.

On now to Harvard, my old alma mater.
Once at the famed Yard, Alex asked me to give her
a boost so that she could touch "Harvard's" shoe.
I did so, and then snapped a picture or two.



Down JFK street we happily jogged,
then we turned left and followed the river along
its course between Harvard and MIT proper.
We planned to cross Longfellow, I and my daughter.



Though our time by the river went fast -- boy, it flew --
we did stand at times to ponder strange views.
Here's one sight that made both our eyes grow quite round...
let's hope that the owner is home safe and sound.



Our trek was adorned with animal presence,
geese were walking all over the place -- with no menace.
They did not behave as a grouse or a bear,
but instead waddled on as though we were not there.





We were close to the Mass Avenue bridge when Alex
requested her first gingerbread cookie fix.
We sat and we drank and we ate what we liked,
then Alex went over to stare at the ice.



Longfellow at last! The bridge stood there tall,
while Alex and I tried to contemplate all
of the miles we had walked and the visions we'd seen --
not a 4K but it had indeed been
a very nice day walking close, hand-in hand
over this urban, concreted flat land.

We crossed the long bridge under now sunny skies
and stepped into Boston, then Alex and I
looked for a stopping point -- what would be the way
to end such a lovely, convivial day?



Perhaps find the high point of Boston and summit?
We could, but quite frankly that seemed rather dumb -- it
would be much more fun to now eat, don't you know
so we finished our hike at posh Panificio.



This now brings an end to our hike into Boston
We had so much fun we may do this more often
But now I must focus all of my attentions
on Alex's birthday -- for now she is seven.