new destinies

“The world is full of banks and rivers running between them, of men and
women crossing bridges and fords, unaware of the consequences, not
looking back or beneath their feet, and with no loose change for
the boatman.”—Arturo Pérez-Reverte
 
and must i nest upon this riverbank,
where men’s declining bones have staled and stank?
how shall i of death’s stifling stench be free,
if i should guzzle at the place he drank?
 
and if i slumber in this riverbed,
shall i not by his endless flow be fed,
of carcasses washed down to foul the sea,
that in his stream their passions leak, full bled?
 
and if i pilgrimage to ocean floor,
wherein new destinies i might explore,
will i find there a goodly company,
ready to serenade me by the shore?
 
and if my final sopor wakes the deep
blue with its song of silence, will time keep
a vigil only for my family,
whose harps upon this riverbank must weep?
 
© Copyright 2023 August 21
by Clyve A Bowen♫