This poem comes from Pictures of Rochester In Verse by Melissa E. Bingeman (© Melissa E. Bingeman of Rochester, N.Y.). The book is a collection of poems published in the Democrat & Chronicle from March to October in 1930.
Irondequoit
I'm winding through a valley
That holds a land-locked bay,
Where white-throat grosbeaks dally,
And wren and juncko stay.
Tree-clad hill and hollow
Along the shady shore,
Call to me to follow,
And learn the Indian lore.
I'll buy a little hill-top,
Put up a little tent,
So I can see the morning,
When the night is spent,
Bring to life the tree-forms,
Nebulous and grey,
Bring to life the hillocks,
Call to life the bay.
Could I the courage rally,
I'd buy a little 'plane,
And glide into the valley,
And then sweep up again
To see the mists of morning
Form a lake of cloud,
Where hill-tops look like islands,
Floating green and proud.
And when the dew has vanished
I'd row a little boat
Among the reeds and rushes,
And drift—and dream—and float;
Explore the hidden channels,
Surprise the birds; or lie
And watch the wandering cloudlets
Sail across the sky.