Marj Saunders Park

by Dick Spees

     There is such a place, where people pass hurrying up and down,
     On their way to so many of life’s destinations --
     A place that reaches out and smiles at passers-by
     As if to say, what’s your hurry, pause a minute and catch the sweet scent of the bays and eucalyptus;
     Gaze for a moment at the water tumbling down the rocky slope in wintertime,
     Or see the gentle bleeding hearts and daffodils nodding their springtime greeting in April’s soft sunlight,
     Glance at the colorful and sometimes obscure messages on The Rock, commemorating all of life’s celebrations;
     And often as you pass by you notice a tall, gray haired, stately lady sweeping up the leaves and refuse left by the seasons and the hurried passers by:
     A keeper of all the beauty in these hills.
     And now as the passers by go hurrying by, they will know and remember this is her place,
     And will know that they are part of something very special:
     A park, a place that commemorates all that is good and decent and beautiful in this life in our hills;
     A reminder to protect, preserve and build on that spirit of community that comes from this place;
     A place named Marj Saunders Park.