deepundergroundpoetry.com
stagnant river
"When people refuse to speak out
for too long, it's like water that's stagnant
and starts to rot!"—August Strindberg
i.
you had the same hope
as the other springs
that cleft the mild slope
through the wis-wis strings
ii.
you played the same rock
drums to syncopate
mornings when the clock
woke the sun too late
iii.
at the makeshift bridge
other streams went right
but the left-fork ridge
swept you out of sight
iv.
in the gorge below
you have found your grave
nor your stagnant flow
any soul shall save
v.
when stern stewardship
shall be asked of you
what will you unzip
from your choked tableau?
vi.
silt and muck and grime
parasite and germ
reek with deadly rhyme
in fate's brutal sperm
vii.
joyful feet that haste
down a wayward path
oft life's treasures waste
midst the grapes of wrath
© Copyright 2023 May 28
by Clyve A. Bowen♫
for too long, it's like water that's stagnant
and starts to rot!"—August Strindberg
i.
you had the same hope
as the other springs
that cleft the mild slope
through the wis-wis strings
ii.
you played the same rock
drums to syncopate
mornings when the clock
woke the sun too late
iii.
at the makeshift bridge
other streams went right
but the left-fork ridge
swept you out of sight
iv.
in the gorge below
you have found your grave
nor your stagnant flow
any soul shall save
v.
when stern stewardship
shall be asked of you
what will you unzip
from your choked tableau?
vi.
silt and muck and grime
parasite and germ
reek with deadly rhyme
in fate's brutal sperm
vii.
joyful feet that haste
down a wayward path
oft life's treasures waste
midst the grapes of wrath
© Copyright 2023 May 28
by Clyve A. Bowen♫
Published 29th May 2023
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
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The author encourages honest critique.
29th May 2023 6:53pm
I love the aqueous theme flowing throughout, the use of questions, which engages critical thinking and has the force of direct address. Some really unique word choices like tableau and stewardship. I feel the rotating thread throughout of time, strength and resilience, but also of stagnation and decay, the consequence of choices. It's thoughtful writing with your signature passionate and positive energy.
There is potential life, and potential death, in all the inert resources around us. The measure by which we measure them, and the purpose to which we put them, appropriately define how they impact the world.
It's like water that destroys or saves, yet the water is not to blame, but those who are in its path, when it is angry; and the river is not to praise, but the Giver of the river, when it blesses the world.
In this scenario, the river represents how individuals manage their choices and opportunities: some go off on a tangent, isolate themselves, and stagnate in their misadventurous path, while others create new frontiers and forge new destinies to inspire the world.
Without a doubt, the message is not lost on you. Thanks for the pointed summation.
Yours sincerely
cab
It's like water that destroys or saves, yet the water is not to blame, but those who are in its path, when it is angry; and the river is not to praise, but the Giver of the river, when it blesses the world.
In this scenario, the river represents how individuals manage their choices and opportunities: some go off on a tangent, isolate themselves, and stagnate in their misadventurous path, while others create new frontiers and forge new destinies to inspire the world.
Without a doubt, the message is not lost on you. Thanks for the pointed summation.
Yours sincerely
cab
3rd Jun 2023 8:28pm
