Lake Gaston
by Savannah J.

Where Grandaddy Rex’s ashes were spread
Where I’ve spent summers
Where I learned to ski
Where I get away

Lake Gaston,
When you think of this lake
You hear children screaming with joy,
Boats roaring, and waves rippling past

The beautiful, brown water yells your name to swim,
The high-standing docks stand waiting for you to fish
Even in the cold days of winter,
You want to feel the water’s welcoming hugs

With giant pine trees lining our paths
And hidden places in the woods around us
You feel so close to Grandaddy Rex,
You feel like your true self

Even when we sleep in our small two-bedroom house,
I am reminded of whom I am
Even on our trip through Littleton to the lake,
I feel as if I am getting closer to my true self

Lake Gaston seems like a basic place to love
But the boat rides and jumping off the dock are not what I love
It is the feeling of being close to my grandfather I never met,
The grandfather that died before I was born

I love Gaston for me feeling like me
I like feeling true to my family and myself
I’ve learned who I truly am and who I truly want to be
Lake Gaston is a part of me