Rivers
Oft am I tempted by the simple man's dream,
that the decisions I make can be enclosed by a fence.
Surely the stone that is thrown evokes ripples,
but they extend only as far as the rim of a lake ...
Not so; not so - though the vision will always tempt,
the decisions we make aren't bound by a shore,
where we can see all that is done in a glance.
The implications extend beyond vision, through time,
for our lives are like rivers, running ever on to the sea ...
This water I taste, or corrupt, or bless, or blockade -
it is not mine, not isolated, not comprehensible by me.
What farmer relies on its waters a hundred miles away?
What child delights in its sparkling run,
or will delight when I am gone someday?
What descendant of mine shall sit on this grass by the stream
and be inspired to verse?
So I shall choose my course with care and keep my waters clean.
In humble knowledge that my acts may ne'er be seen -
but they will always be felt beyond what I can dream.
16 August 2020
Inspired by the North Fork Cache La Poudre River at Beaver Meadows Resort Ranch on 15 August 2020
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