Rivers hold stories,
traces of things done.
Toes in muddied silt
lovers on shore,
rise and fall of cities;
patience teaching child
to swim.
Swirling around
fallen limbs, trunks
seeming souls of forest greatness
now left to hide minnows from big fish,
reaching river grown greatness.
Calm waters make lazy days,
slowing to wait a bit
for use of sun and breezes
when words make music
and soft eyes forget flowing streams;
and rivers know these things
but keep silence, holding
secrets like melted soil
and pieces of leafy sunshine;
all those noisy murmurs
and happy squeals of life, there
roaming beneath the glassy top
of moving waters.
Author notes
selected for publication
In a list
A contest entry
- One Poet A Week...A Series [This Week features Annalise] by poet2angels.
750 points, ended January 12, 9 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 12 of 12
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Mmmm this too is beautiful. Water especially moving water lends itself so perfectly to poetry and song to metaphor, the life in and of it. I think however that it's very difficult to capture the essence of it.. a moment lying there and contemplating it and bravo you have here, I really felt like I could see you on the bank loving it.
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Enjoyed the imagery of the river, I am working on a similar poem about a river now, I found inspiration for it while standing by the Thames. Particularly liked "soft eyes forgive flowing streams" great aliteration. As a point of interest liked the Ovid and Shaw quotes (I am an Irishman) here are two for you "An Irishman's heart is nothing but his imagination"-Shaw, "Barbarus hic ego sum, qui non intelligor illis"- "Here I am the barbarian, because men understand me not" Ovid
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I don't know what to say anymore. I saw the bubbling brook, the calm river, the rapids on a river and the power of it all. You are a fantastic writer. That's all I can say.
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OOOhh..I like it!! I really do..
"seeming souls of forest greatness
now left to hide minnows from big fish,
reaching river grown greatness."
I like this part. Great write.
Peace to you,J.
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Another trophy ...
what a surprise.
This reminds me of Shimmer, a movie that was shown on National Public Television in 1996 but never released to the public on either vhs or dvd. The two main characters, two boys in a work farm in Iowa, are talking and the one says that he thinks all things talk to everything else in a secret language that humans don't understand.
Anyway, good job on the poem.
What's the chance you'd considering allowing me to post it on my blog?
http://poetsporch.blogspot.com/
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Gorgeous! Love that last stanza! "rivers know these things, but keep silence" wow! It's amazing the changes that occur through the passage of time. I love how the river has seen and experienced it all, and yet, would not interfere. Hmmm, very thought provoking. If only some PEOPLE would do the same!
Seriously, this was a beautiful piece and the flow is reminiscent of a gentle river bubbling over rocks and tiny minnows.
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"Calm waters make lazy days,
slowing to wait a bit
for use of sun and breezes
when words make music
and soft eyes forget flowing streams;"
I am a lover of the water. It soothes my soul and calms the beast in me. Your words did that just now and I give a hefty sigh after inhaling them. Beauteous work!
Congratulations on earning the Silver Cup! A very worthy penning here poet!
Much Love Always ♥
Renee
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your words are like music with this.. I love water rivers, lakes the sea...
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You have the mystique of the river down well. Each image worked toward the whole. I like the arrangements of images, often anti-climactic to balance large and small, important and trivial. Yet to the river, all is the same.
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Well done keep up the great work.
Amber -
Sigh~
Such imagery ...
Beauty swimming through every line with such poignancy.
"for use of sun and breezes
when words make music
and soft eyes forget flowing streams;
and rivers know these things
but keep silence, holding
secrets like melted soil
and pieces of leafy sunshine;"
Just so beautiful! Annalise's poem brought forth such wonderful inspiration....
Lynda
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