We ride like boats upon a mighty river,
directed in the flow to different goals;
we float along the gentle streams together
believing it the meeting of our souls.
Each oarsman has a mind and destination,
our courses part, if freedom says they must.
We choose to mourn a cause for celebration,
reducing love and happiness to dust.
The waterway is vast, but just one river.
The myriad of boats that mark its face
remain a fleet that floats along forever,
their separations but a trick of place.
Author notes
I find this photo very evocative: http://www.rolfpotts.com/pictures/india/oarman.JPG
In a list
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 29 of 29
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Metaphorically, this is beauty...spiritually, this is wisdom...personally, this is light to my eyes...And now for the poem...lol...just kidding...Margaret...you have such skill and grace about you...I have seen that photo image before and have a similar response to it.. God bless and keep you always in His peace, Rhonda
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Thank you for your comment and applause, Rhonda, I am indebted.
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This sonnet flows
as fluently as the river!
The informing metaphor of your poem is the river for a rather complex idea of a commonality of both life-force and the flow of it. The oarsman figures in the choice we have.
Like many a fine but profound poem, it could be studied in elementary school or University.
One thing: it is not only a trick of place but, I feel, a trick of time as well.
Wonderful.
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Excellent Writing
The ancient philosopher, Hiraclitus, would really appreciate this poem. His great realization that the fundamental reality in this world is CHANGE came to him while pondering the effect of a flowing river.
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Thank you Ellis - I dimly recall Heraclitus, thanks for reminding me. Resisting change is futile and painful, better to go with the flow and steer your boat.
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very well done and I was quite sure I recognized the author's style here and I was right!
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The contest was quick! Thanks for the opportunity to have this one read again.
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A lovely poem of poignant departures penned by one with an innate sensitivity to rhyme and meter. This piece has a wonderful flow, and carries the reader along effortlessly. Best of luck in the contest.
David
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I'm happy you enjoyed this David, you have that sense of rhyme and meter as well.
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Hey dear.. I'm a lover of rhymes and here, this one is like a treat U have done it very well, making the flow sound so easy.. yet retaining the depth of the poem. Fabulous.. Good luck in the contest..
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Thank you raspberry. The poem consists of both content and form, I'm happy you enjoyed them.
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I feel such warmth and wisdom ...
poured out by your words ... A divine solace.
Your poetry is timeless, beautiful, inspiring. I feel like I am Home, again ... for "separation is but a trick of place."
Perfect and endearing, beloved Margaret.
Love
Myra
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Margaret,
What exquisite penning! Your vision is heartfelt as I read the words. Richard Bach wrote in one of his books, Illusions, that we always know our friends whether it "be moments or lifetimes." I think within that frame of heart and consciousness, we are all one, especially when our courses part. We know it because something intrinsic remains--Love.
Thank you for sharing this one. Bookmarked!
~ Karen
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I was thinking about how people come and go, and trying to let them go peacefully. This picture was very helpful in that
http://www.rolfpotts.com/pictures/india/oarman.JPG
and this question: Why should we spend our emotions on the natural movement of man and water?
I don't claim these ideas for myself, and I can only say the poem was written through me. Thank you for your appreciation, Karen.
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I can almost hear a melody to this. I am not sure why, but this has the feel of verses to a song. Ir eally wish I could place the tune I am hearing. I think it is a hymn actually.
I love the way you have expressed the ebb and flow of life. we meet and part and perchance meet again.
Yeah this is nice.
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That is an interesting idea, Susan, and I think that a hymn with any 11 10 11 10 melody would work with this. That is the beauty of regular meter. I'm glad that we have met again, it was a long time.
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A poignant write about a parting of ways. Well written, but makes me a bit sad. Nice sustained metaphor.
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Thank you for your comment and applause, Freed by Mercy.
My husband has a mobile career, and we often make friends for a short period. I have to rationalize the losses or suffer from grief. Looking deeply, I feel we are all connected at an unconscious level.
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Oh, I thought it was a metaphor for divorce. I feel better now.
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I love your metaphor, Margaret. This was such a joy to read, the flow, the way it is told, everything just perfect. I am always in awe of your words. Hugs, Patricia
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Thank you dear, I'm happy you enjoyed it. I have tried to adjust my thinking so that I can be happy even when others do things I don't like. If I want to be free, I must let others be free as well.
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yes, and what's the use of fighting and arguing all along the journey, if we'll all end up in the ocean after all ?
this metaphor you have used here is very beautiful and evocative ... a wonderful message revealed ...
maa
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Thank you Sweetheart! We can have peace anytime we think it is important enough. There are some, I think, who have abandoned their boats completely.
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I like poems about rivers and waterways, and yours is very nice indeed. It has a slight echo of "Where go the boats?" by Robert Louis Stevenson. This is one of my daughters favourite poems, and we frequently recite it when we get together. It has been set to music many times and is really simple and beautiful. The river is a great metaphor for life, isn't it?
http://www.bartleby.com/188/115.html
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Thank you Keith. Stevenson`s poem is indeed deceptively simple, with a parent`s concern hidden in children`s boats. Water is a wonderful metaphor, especially with its spiritual connotations. Happy weekend!
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I like sustained metaphors and this one works very well. So many ideas in one place, so many possibilities, yet truth resides in them all.
The extra syllable in lines 1 and 3 of each verse, by their matching rhytms for some reason remind me of the splash of water off paddle or oars with each unhurried stroke. Love it!
Time to take out the canoe!
Terry
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Thank you Terry! This poem was a few days in the works, and there were a few stanzas left on the floor. A canoe on the river sounds delightful.
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The trick of the "fleet"...
Sometimes, dear Margaret, I think you have a crystal ball that looks right into my life ...
Anyway, this is a very astute observation of the illusion
of separation inherent in the structure of the vessels called "me" and the destiny of "my will", when in fact we are all in the loving flow of the River headed toward the One Ocean. Thank you for sharing...
Shine on,
Rahad
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Thank you Rahad, for a lovely interpretation. I had been feeling some nostalgia, until I found this rationale that makes it senseless. Separation is an illusion, and what floats "apart" will meet in the end. Many blessings, dear one.
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