Cry Me A River
by Susan Paczek
The river passes wordlessly
Past my house, towards the sea
Under ducks and along drinking deer
Over turtles and lost fishing gear
It has no words, but still can share
All it has heard between here and there
"Darling, let's cut down all the trees
Along the river so we can see...
The beautiful view out of our window
We'll drink our coffee, watch the river go..."
The river hears all sorts of chatter
Of "just this bit" and "once won't matter"
It rolls past someone who thinks "it's just one fish"
"Salmon will taste so good in my breakfast dish"
It hears "This fertilizer makes the lawn so green!"
and "Wear gloves, but this gets the house really clean"
It carries downstream all the trash, goop and grime
Injected into its body "Just one time"
All the secrets of the river's harm
Collect like scars on a cutter's arm
To be deposited into the sea at last
With secrets from other rivers, slow and fast
Only to rise again in the form of clouds
That blanket the horizon in thick, grey shrouds
Until the wind blows, setting them free
Back to the land, away from the sea
And over my house rain falls from the sky
That's how the river is allowed to cry
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| Bear River Outflow (Yarmouth County), Oil on board by Helen Opie |
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