Reflections in the River’s Wake

In life’s wake Are trailing memories, Born from dreams With life’s bow fixed Toward an unseen horizon. Willed by bold stroke, The soul is set afloat Down a river never traveled— A river of doubt. Drifting Under the dark forest canopy The cacophony, Nature’s chorus, Is unusually silent. Only imagination’s din Echoes in the ears, Stirring the heart. An unuttered presage Taming hubris With its humbling message. On the liquid canvas Are sketches of nature Flowing past, Giving no clear perspective, Just pensive moods of shadowy hues. Still, sinewy shoulders labor, Steadily pushing and pulling The crafted vessels Down the river never traveled. Its direction, Depth, Length, Peril— All unknown On this river of doubt. An odyssey of time, Days into weeks, Weeks into months, Months into years— Berths self-discovery. Each rounded bend May deliver hope Or challenge mettle. The clashing wills, Nature’s and man’s, May raze confidence And give rise to doubts That can unmoor the vessel, Rendering one aimless, Swept up in the current. To discover— For what is the purpose? Is the end the goal? Or is it the journey? Without a map Without measure, The way traveled Becomes watery fingerprints, Rippling for a moment Then entombed in the sand. Yet, the surveyors Of life’s topography Map their destiny To tell their own story. With passage Strength wanes, Power grows frail, Wakes weaken, Drawing the soul Towards a still pool. Yet, deep in the interior A pulsing stirs The gnawing hunger, Yoked to a goal: Expend youthful vigor, Leave nothing to the age of decline, For only the intrepid will live— Many lifetimes. No one is ever lost On the river never traveled. If braved, Discovery becomes a tributary Feeding understanding That the river flowing Under a dark canopy, Through the shadows, Is a passage of memories That gives way to the light.