Poets United Midweek Motif ~ River

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Midweek Motif ~ River

"For life and death are one, even as the river and sea are one."--Khalil Gibran

"No man steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he is not the same man."--Heraclitus

"Fame is like a river, that beareth up things light and swollen, and drowns things weighty and solid"--Francis Bacon


River is the lifeline of all ancient civilizations. It is the silent witness of the rise and fall of empires and races. Though not breathing river lives. No wonder it has become a powerful symbol in mythologies of so many cultures.

River has been personified as being that is worshiped, feared, revered. It has been treated as metaphors for life, fertility and time too. Its birth, its journey with twists and turns and its final transformation is awe inspiring.

Our dear poet friend Sherry Blue Sky's poem flows like this:

Mother Ocean / Small Stream
by Sherry Marr


Small stream, as you gambol down rocky cliffs,
burble and babble in swirling pools,
chuckle in the afternoon sunlight,
you meet obstacles
on your journey to the sea.

Drought dries up your stream bed for a time'
or logs crash down and clog your passage
with mud and debris
it might take aeons to dislodge,
before you can flow freely
once again.

And yet you persevere,
with confidence,
with courage, with determination,
with gaiety,
because forward is the only direction you know,
and your life's work is
to finally reach the sea.

You stay serene and focused,
because you know that,
whatever may befall you as you travel,
still, you are water,
each drop of you as necessary
to the cycle of life as the next.
You know, one day you will merge
with Mother Ocean,
will become one with her,
will immerse yourself in her immensity
for all time.
Already, even at such a distance,
you are one,
for, still and always
you are water.


I may add another voice in our river song today and that's of  Wang Wei's (699AD-761Ad) who was a Tang dynasty Chinese poet, musician, painter, and statesman. He was one of the most renowned men of arts and letters of his time.

A Green Stream
by Wang Wei

I have sailed the river of yellow flowers,
Borne by the channel of a green stream,
Rounding ten thousand turns through the mountains
On a journey of less than thirty miles.

Rapids hum over heaped rocks;
But where light grows dim in the thick pines,
The surface of an inlet sways with nut-horns
And weeds are lush along the banks.

Down in my heart I have always been as pure
As this limpid water is.
Oh, to remain on a broad flat rock
And to cast a fishing-line forever!


Another poem for today's theme is Emily Dickinson's My River runs to thee.

My River runs to thee
by Emily Dickinson

My river runs to thee
Blue sea! Wilt welcome me?
My River wait reply
Oh sea-- look graciously
I'll fetch thee Brooks
From spotted nooks
Say--Sea--Take me!


So how does river sing to you? Today I would like you to be inspired by Rivers and write your lines.

Please share your new poem using Mr. Linky below and visit others in the spirit of the community.

( Next week Susan's Midweek Motif will be ~ Mercy. )