Tuesday, January 06, 2009

The River

Salto Para on the Rio Caura, Bolivar State, Venezuela
(Taken from the plane)

My husband wrote this,
To live by a river is to make it a part of your life. It flows like blood through your veins and is never forgotten. You feel it's cold and it's power. You miss it when it is gone. No other river will ever replace it. It is your blood.


Unless you have lived a life dependent upon a river, I suppose it is not easily comprehended. If you have lived along the banks of a river, and relied upon it for survival, it becomes part of who you are.

The river is the source of the water that you need to sustain life. Not only for you, but for the animals as well. The river represents LIFE.

The river is the place one goes for cleansing your person and your possessions. The river represents CLEANSING.

The river is the provider of much of your food. The fish of the river are the most accessible source of protein. The river represents SUSTENANCE.

The river also is your highway. It provides you with passage to other places and people. The river represents FREEDOM.

Life, cleansing, sustenance, freedom. The river.

I am no poet, but I do enjoy attempting to express myself through the writing of something vaguely resembling poetry. I wrote this last year.



Yearnings


Sitting in a dugout,
Gliding down a river,
Looking upwards to the blue sky,
White, wispy clouds breezing by,
Tall jungle trees,
Pointing high!

Close my eyes,
Feel the tropical sun upon my skin,
Humidity in the air, cool water against my hand,
Dangling fingers swim in the green, brown river,
A soft mist sprays upon my brow,
Cooling water!

The jungle permeates,
Earthy, damp and musty,
A thousand years old!
The smell of a storm coming this way,
Sweet, sour, a bit of decay,
Jungle smells!

Listen! Listen!
What do you hear?
The cry of a majestic macaw,
The wind moves the leaves of the palms,
The water gurgles as it ripples,
Quiet sounds!

The sights of home,
The feel of home,
Familiar smells,
The sounds that call me home,
I hear the beckoning and I long to return,
Winding river, take me home!

11 comments:

WomanHonorThyself said...

I'm a pisces so I love water..lol..don't forget to vote for me every day..ha :)Linky is at my site! :)

Dawn said...

Venezuela is really in you bones and blood, isn't it? It is sad that you had to leave.

I haven't live by a river, but the importance of the river that flows through our town is incredible - if we don't get enough snow in the mountains, the river doesn't provide us with the water we need for the summer.

Betty said...

I can tell you are missing your river. I have never lived by one, but it must be heaven!

ABNPOPPA said...

Great poem JM. I can close my eyes and almost hear the quite waters and hear the jungle sounds of birds and breeze. Write a book or poems!!!

Pops

Steve Harkonnen said...

Well, I used to live near a river, and I don't miss it.

It's called the Rouge River in Detroit. I think that they would probably find Jimmy Hoffa in the trunk of a cadillac there if they dredged it in the right spots.

Brooke said...

We live next to a river. It is to be respected, for certain; all the thing it you mentioned it can represent, but it can also be pure fury!

Z said...

lovely, JM.
I know what you mean about a river.
The Seine was the one I lived near...and I miss the ocean when I'm not here, too.
The river DOES run through your veins, you feel part of it somehow. I'd forgotten the feeling.

Anonymous said...

Great blog.
Thank you for visiting mine and for your support of Israel

B'Ahavah

MightyMom said...

aaaahhhhh

Brenda said...

Rivers are amazing places, I have never lived by one for longer than a year, but I know they affect your life.

Yekwana Man said...

I remember on the Caura with Tito when we almost sank in the rapids. Rivers can be furious and awesome in their power. Yet as gentle as a butterfly's kiss. I will always miss it because it is a part of my heart