Julie recited this poem at the memorial.
The Lonely Lake
by Julie Collins
There's a lake near here where I often go
A lonely lake where the cattails grow
A mile across and half that wide
Where beaver and swans and loons abide.
An eagle sits in the old spruce tree
As free as the wind and he watches me
As I get in my boat and I start to row
Around the lake where the cattails grow.
There are no people and I do say
I certainly hope it stays that way.
Not a soul to be seen, not anywhere
(But once I saw a bear up there.)
I listen alone to grebe and loon
As they sing to me their mournful tune
This is just as it should be
Just the grebes and the loons on the lake with me.
Watching the swans on a beautiful day
Seeing a beaver in every bay
This is why I love to go
To the lonely lake where the cattails grow.