Life Stages of a River

Rain falls on granite. Glaciers unwind. Snowflakes decrystallize. A murmuring stream collects, in the confluence of the melt. A river is born. Her banks expand. Nutrients collect in the torrent. Rocks tumble in the frothy white water. Speed and power intensify, with the reshaped swell of common elements. A river grows. Transformation is slow and muddy. Men build obstructions, harness the river with turbines. Irrigation canals siphon liquid gold for crops. Barges navigate goods over current. A river is tamed. Sediments build in the depths. Reflections dominate. A serene shoreline nurtures abundance. The hasty flow has noticeably slowed. Every mile traveled increases breadth of verity. A river ages. Some vanish with anonymity in vast deserts. Others clash violently into endless seas. A few form rich, braided deltas. Inland lakes, without drainage, capture some. Geologists and children are in agreement. All rivers end………