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New River Poems

Don't stop! The most popular and best River poems are below this new poems list.

the other side of the river by owl, word
River by Jay, Alessia
CELTIC RIVER CALDER by Hargreaves, Tony
RED RIVER by Rodrigues, Kim
River Song by Kiser, M. L.
Cry Me A River by Chard 2nd, Charles Gerald Patrick
The River by Barthwal, Akanksha
River Of Doubt by Johnson, MD
RIVER OF LOVE by Trifiatis, Demetrios
By the Murray River by Stroh, Uwe

View all new River Poems

The Best River Poems

Details | River Poem |

Crying River

Crying River (The Untold Ballad) 

Undercover waters of rain dash
Cold children, no smiling splash
Tragic sobs, epic force of the mountain rain
Beautiful as it may seem -shallow basin 
---Dream---

She cries a tune, 
Mocking the Maple lands, a beautiful tune
Crooked Cornwall, she steams with the moon
Oceanic dreams, monsoon season, she swoon's
Frozen, dead, ice skating rink
Her wind, Pretty Chains O Lake 
Wet and Wild, the Elk drinks from her garden
Water falls from the lids of Jordan
Beautiful as it may seem with open curtain

When the ocean succeeds away from the sea
She's wide awake during winter's rain and breeze
Lost in the mud's of Bellaire's heartache,
River Blues, ice cold snap, bayou stirring up
Racing rivers crying by the western gutter
Silent, bells chime in the Black Mallard waters
Streams, blowing and drying dew droplets
Little rapid tears, everything spotless
Sugar, Swan waves down by Devils Creek
Listen to the thunder bay rolling deep
Beautiful as it may seem, she weeps

A northern world with streaks of falling rain
Pretty running white hair pane
A weather vane, snow dangles above her domain 
Beautiful crying winds
In the Eyes of Michigan

~3/5/14~

Details | River Poem |

LAKE'S MUSIC



To find solace from misty tides that curve,
In low beats gently weaving their way
Along the coastline where our town rests:
This aging lake I knew as a girl
Is now draped with crumpled lily pads,
Against night’s advancing shade. I heave…

Yet, the clear music of waves endure
All trespasses from environ's care;
Chanting the legends of time's folklore
Much like a rhapsody warbling stories
Passed from one era to the next:
This water- bend filled with salt of love, death
As I listen to its undulated psalms---
Still beautiful in a  wilting habitat,
Knowing my lake resides in my inner world.



---------------
END JULY PREMIERE CONTEST OF Brian Strand

Details | River Poem |

The river and I

I move with the river, it moves with me
We move in synchronicity
My thoughts flow with currents
Push my feelings around the bends
It heals my wounds, the hurts it mends
It washes away worries and doubts
In motion it turns it all inside out
As peace consumes me all about
No hurdles, no rocks are in the way
I move by and beyond them everyday
Taking in everything passing by
        --- The river and I ---

Heidi Sands

6/26/17

*Placed 3rd in Contest:  Best Rhyming poem May - July 2017

Details | River Poem |

The Last Call

He left his sneakers by the shore
A backpack too, was laid aside
to pick up when the sun had died

He claimed his other gear, instead
The thrill of rapids filled his head
and sounds of water drew him in
             His sneakers, backpack cast aside
             would wait 'til dusk, upon the grass
             when he returned to don again

They did not hear the roaring tides
They did not hear the shouts of fright
Nor did they hear, at last, the call
That came from voices through the night

Calls from those who searched the dark
While water surged and moonlight fell
And rushed instead,  to grip a life
              His sneakers, backpack, cast aside
              assumed that he would come again

His sneakers wait, .........he kicked them off
In haste his backpack, too, was tossed
The river flows...... and all was lost
The cost was more than words explain

There's someone home who got the call
The words so wild, the last, that came

                 His sneakers, backpack, cast aside
                 assumed that he'd return again
                 It lies not in their province now,
                 to know the cost of human pain


___________________________________________________________
(Based, sadly, on a true event, and someone I once knew)
10/23/15   For the Contest: "Hear The Call" triple prompt
Resubmitted for Skat's Premiere Contest # 11...... 9/16/16

Details | River Poem |

Nature

(The Sun is Out)

I dare to hope and dream, 
Of flowers that never fade
Of splendid and exotic creatures
All living in perfect harmony. 
I dream of tranquil earthly paradise,
A keen euphoric garden of Eden,
Created by my one and true Lord.
Alas that man sinned and now
The garden of Eden is closed.
 
So let us together embark upon a journey,
In earnest search and ardent expectation
Of peace and love and blissful pleasure. 
Let us travel down a mighty river
In a small pirogue, winding its way
Along the fern lined banks
Admiring the cypress and the tall pine trees.
 
The river turns into a valley,
Where mighty willows weep and dip
Their lower branches in the fresh icy stream. 
All around, we smell the scent of flowers,
Butterflies with gossamer wings
Flit untiringly from bloom to bloom
While insects seem to have composed
A lively concert of their own.
 
We hear the music of the song birds,
Especially the multicolored martin pescador,
Finches practicing their fine tunes
to serenade the attractive female mate.
We spy warblers, sparrows, and orioles
Dancing from branch to branch
Or birds of prey soaring over the ancient firs
Trying to catch some unsuspecting fish
That swims beneath the calm surface
Of a smooth and tranquil lake. 

Such magic moments mesmerize our senses,
As we witness the birth of day.
We find ecstasy in Our Lord's creations. 
His wondrous hand enhances nature,
Fascinates our spirit with uninhibited joy
Expanding the joyous hope for all humanity.


Placed 8

Details | River Poem |

The Bridge

I walk towards you,
as you stand waiting at the center of the bridge.

Beneath my feet, aged timbers span the churning river below.
With each step I see you more clearly.
My eyes search out the younger you,
that wild child with chestnut hair.
I can still remember your pigtails and ear to ear grin.
Back then, laugher was such an important part of us.
Somehow,
thankfully,
from the start, 
we just seemed to get each other.

As I approach,
I see both of us in your eyes.
The twinkles hidden within the wrinkles,
laugh lines, the evidence of our pleasure.
As you open your arms we embrace.
For a moment, time relinquishes its dominion.
Two friends once again, occupy a sacred moment,
grieving and celebrating the passage of everything.
We wonder, what if anything can be reclaimed?
Together, wishing yesterday forward!

The bridge groans under our childlike expectations.

In a split second everything changes!
We place young hands on the bridges revived splendor.
Amazed, we look over its railing.
There below, the river reverses upon itself,
flowing backwards until it stops.
The glass like surface reflects back images of our younger selves.
I look back into your eyes with wonder, 
how is this possible?
Once again we are both twelve,
standing on this baby blue bridge.
You too look shocked,
What is going through your mind?

Age has loosed its shackles!
The years reeling back like hands on a sprung clock.
I think my eyes deceive me, but it is you.
A cowlick sticking straight up and you have that crooked smile.
Your blue eyes playfully daring me,
to follow you into a new adventure.
This adventure occupies the reaches of our imaginations!
Your hand rests beside mine,
it feels familiar and safe.
How I have missed you my friend,
missed your voice, your exuberance for life.

As twilight lingers
and the stillness of time settles about us,
I see us as we were.
Long ago we said our goodbyes on this very bridge.
We promised one day we would return to this very spot.
A pinky swear magical promise!
Then we waded into our unknown years.
The river of time split us in two directions.
Many escapades, broken hearts,
triumphs and horrors.
Somehow, we grasped at the memories of a forever friendship.
A phone call, a transformative whisper,
beckoning us to return,
to a bridge,
to a time,
to a feeling.

Twelve years old,
hands clasped and swinging.
We skip to the beat of our own accordians. .
Together we dare life to give its all.
We are ready once again,
for skinned knees,
adventure,
perhaps some heartache,
but mostly belly laughter and ear to ear grins!

Written in collaboration with Monterey Sirak.
It is a pleasure to work with such a talented poet.

Details | River Poem |

My lacking

I laughed and the world was silent
For it seemed the joke was me
I wished to be a comfort
Yet, it was not meant to be

I stood upon the broadest shoulders
and still in the end I felt quite short
I couldn't see past lonely mountains
What goodly news could I report?

Those things I saw off in the distance
Raced towards me with a blinding speed
I dreamt of how they'd satisfy me
Yet sadly they did not meet my need

Within broken mind, I searched for justice
The lady outpaced by quite a bit
She said "If you really want to catch me,
You have to do oh so much more than sit!"

I chose to climb, the highest of mountains
Surveyed the majestic valleys below
Expected I'd be warmed by the sunshine
But Instead, I felt the fridgid winds blow

I shifted my gaze towards the heavens
Wondered deep down, why I felt all alone
As I sat cross legged I tried to listen
Felt a deep aching within tired bone

My greatest lacking was understanding
Until God's Mercy allowed me to cry
Temporary would lead to forever
The cycles of life connected to why

So my tears flowed into rivers
Down the tall mountain into the sea
It seems, I was always connected
Yes, the whole world was crying with me

Details | River Poem |

When we were young

When we were young
And the world was new
The fields all green
And sky so blue

We were in awe of each new day
Our waking hours were all in play
So much to see, great things to do
Our joy each day, it grew and grew

We would run around the field
Wade in streams and we would yield
To life each morning till the dusk
As we each day in life did trust

New pleasures we would find to do
When we were young, the world brand new.

Details | River Poem |

The Reunion

In the beginning it is just a lovely cloud
Collin comes across her in the coffee house
One of his friends calls his attention
Look, your mom is here, let’s go elsewhere
A descent of birds pecking at his brain

The cloud he keeps looking at for quite a while
The face and the figure look like his 
He goes to the toilet to look into the mirror
The semblance he sees is a puzzling wonder
The birds dance and sing in tumultuous chorus

His friend confounded when he is told
Collin does not know who his mother is
He had been adopted when he was just two
The lady too looks at them off and on
When a bridge comes up none can say

The next few hours he passes in a daze
Is the quest for four years going to succeed
Is the cloud preordained for the sudden rain
Or it is just a fortuitous resemblance
But then isn’t it an exactly mirror image

Returning home Collin scrutinizes himself again
In the mirror he finds the same chiseled face
The same desirous dreamy eyes, head full of hair
He recites poems and talks to himself
Same grace radiates from the daffodils

The plant with the flowers hangs in the air
The charm and the fragrance are irresistible
He craves to rush forward and hug it tight
And flood the flower with crimson kisses
The scented air stays elusive nonetheless

Collin says everything to his adopted parents
They are very glad and cooperate to get to the truth
There would be no problem in living all together
Collin laughs and says very forcefully
The twenty two years old son is no more an introvert

When the magnet works in the very stem cells
The eventual fusion is inevitable obviously
She takes him to her apartment 
She lives alone her husband dead
No shadow of children nowhere in the rooms

Thousand wasps biting inside his head
The pain is traumatic for the hidden truth
Light and dark interchange day after day
Poems of love keep churning the two hearts
Drama outside and a flood within


The day DNA test confirms the gene
The two intermingle to a river serene
______________________________________________________________
August 8, 2016: For the Contest: Long Lost Family
                 Sponsored by Silent One

Details | River Poem |

Romantic Waters

Romance dwells in moving waters
Cerulean lake lapping the shore...
Moonlight cast across the waves
As the sea sings of passion's amour.

Kayaking on the Russian river
In twilight's softest silhouette...
Feeling the droplets from Niagara
Lovers kiss near romantic falls.

Skinny dipping in an aqua lagoon
To cool before a night of passion.
Lazing next in hot spring waters
Encompassed in aurora's lights.

Lotus blossoms bask in waters
Of loving mem'ries so sublime.
Romance dwells in moving waters
In love straight from Nature's heart.

© Connie Marcum Wong

Details | River Poem |

River


Heart throbbing, euphoric,
like a giant slalom skier
the river gushes down
winding its reckless way
round obstacles and blind corners
unawed by imposing mountains
till it finally comes to the end
of its dizzy, breathless run
where the shimmering ocean waits 
with eager yet patient anticipation.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -				
Contest: Standard No 100
Sponsor: Brian Strand
Placed 1st
© 23rd May 2018

Details | River Poem |

SUNG



sung buddhist prayers
released afloat spring rivers
    a skyward mist



Submitted on March 5, 2018, for contest HAIKU, THEME: WATER  sponsored by MICK TALBOT

Details | River Poem |

Towards Autumn and Winter

Dusk fell slowly as the sun set,
No rain along the river course.
The wan moon rose with no regret,
The currents flowed without great force.

High whitish clouds gathered on high,
Below a siege of herons flew
In haphazard way in the sky
To the south where lemonwood grew.

The young man and his lithe girl friend
Paddled slowly towards a pier,
They got off, the woodland their end
Knowing that chestnuts would be near.

For when cold winter will arrive,
Then Christmas will be in full swing,
Roasted nuts would keep them alive.
Jointly lively carols they'll sing.

Details | River Poem |

LAND OF MINE



Mine is a land of golden rivers
And glowing sunsets that melt your heart 
A long history of native people in harmony 
With lush wildlife and four seasons

Rich forests covering vast expanses
Mine is a land of golden rivers
Where sockeye salmon race up rapids 
And eagles soar great heights

Cool calm breezes summoning the night
As the moon rises to cast her spell
Mine is a land of golden rivers 
That run wide from coast to coast

Maritimers greeting each morning sun
As it ascends over mountain ranges 
Caressing this topography called Canada
Mine is a land of golden rivers



Submitted on August 21, 2018 for contest MY COUNTRY 'TIS OF THEE WITH FORM INVENTED IN MY COUNTRY sponsored by BRAHN BAILEY

and on August 25, 2018, for contest MOST COMMENTS RECEIVED POEM 2018 sponsored by JULY MORNING

Details | River Poem |

Love in my veins

Your love flows through my veins
like the Nile River flows through
the sands of Eygpt.
Love flows through my veins
like rivers that break off into endless streams
and water the gardens of the green stems
of torn covered rose bushes.

In my veins, you flow, as a sparrow
flies through the blue skies in beauty.
You are the blood that flows through my veins
and later settles deep in my heart
and embraces me with a hug of intimace.

Love flows through my veins
like endless notes played by the sweetest composer
along with his private orchestra playing a lovely melody.
Rivers, streams break off and flow into lakes and oceans,
Like my veins that lead to my heart,
you are always there flowing through my veins.
Your love flows through my veins.

Details | River Poem |

A river called Ebola

Thathud, boom boom boom 
Thathud, boom boom boom
I listen
As drums beat in Africa
Voices rise above the pounding
Mourning 
Crying out for their lost
For their feverish
Helpless people dying one loving touch at a time
Ebola, your tears bring destruction
You methodically  make your way to the city
The river from which you flow is cursed
A stream of blood gushes forth
Pouring out and through Africa
Thathud, boom boom boom

You, Ebola
Travel in secrecy
Disguised as lesser diseases
Now the uncommon more common cold
You wear malaria like a illusionist's garment
Making your way through the marketplace
Taxicabs fill with your unsuspecting victims
Fear and ignorance, your loyal companions 
Following you to the hospitals
Places of healing become decimated 
The healers hands are not protected
Their fingers become your own
You whisper "take me home with you,
let me kiss the face of your loved ones!"

Still the drums continue to beat
Thathud, boom boom boom
Hear the beat of Africa's heart
Bring your Doctors across her borders
Open Samaritan's Purse
Ebola, must not win
Let us love Africa one person at a time
God's loving hand's poised to heal
Redemption is possible
He has not forgotten his children
Strength will once again course through their veins
Africa will sing a new song
The fever will break
Ebola, you cannot
Shall not
Will not
Silence the drums of Africa!
Thathud, boom boom boom
Thathud, boom boom boom
Thathud, boom boom boom........

Details | River Poem |

River Song

Slowly down the river, autumn leaves are drifting
The constant current lifts me, to where the sun resides
Rock rimmed, and cold,  the waters ever shifting,
without a hesitation, no reason is implied
Autumn leaves are drifting, to where the sun resides

Somewhere down the river,  thrushes and the swallows,
fly high above rushes, with silky, satin wings 
Reeds grow among the shallows, with ducks in hidden hollows
Moss is green, and willows lean, and haloed twilight clings
Ducks in hidden hollows, have silky, satin wings

I watch the streams meander, and I hear the seasons call
Water soothes the jagged stones, and sparkles in the sun
Till moon arrives and sun is gone, as if from earth it falls
Does it melt into the river's flow, and seams blend into one?
I hear the seasons call, as the seams blend into one

_____________________________________________________

Contest: 255 
Sponsor Brian Strand

Details | River Poem |

Mississippi Moments

Mississippi Moments

History journeys along with its meandering flow as
a wide birth from bank to bank has eyes straining
trying to see across to the other side, far too wide.
Muddy rivulets stirred up by the river boats drift by
and my dreams become intertwined with what
I have read and the sleepy house boats floating near 
the banks that the river dwellers call home.

A huge stainless steel arch with its catenary curve 
looms gracefully nearby as a gateway of welcome,
built as a monument to Thomas Jefferson and the
pioneers who braved making their way to St. Louis, 
why it is fondly called “the Gateway to the West.”
I felt as if the Arch was paying homage to the mighty
Mississippi with its tall shadow falling on her erratic waters.

Children were waving from the banks at contented tourists 
waving back as they drifted slowly by and time stood still 
with the music of the river taverns mingling with the 
contrasting sounds of riverboat whistles, and I drifted along 
with them sensing serene pleasure into another time and place.

Details | River Poem |

A River flows

A river in an African deep jungle,
They saw you and me as foreigners
when we decided to throw our selves 
beneath the waters with our clothes on. 
We let our waves of thoughts
get us wet, 
and spoke the truth to each other
without words. 
We smiled and shed some tears,
we held each other,
and never touched the ground.
We dived into the warmth,
and touched transparency….

They always lived here
and never noticed 
that dreams are found 
within their reach. 
The rives runs,
Its warmth is infinite,
and yet for them
its cold and still.
We had a dream,
and they had none.
Our dream is true
and who should know
if they would see,
our dream as theirs,
or just one day
create their own,
and see the way
their river  flows…

Details | River Poem |

The River

Before the weary pilgrim, flowed a river fair and wide
The way was filled with danger,  he couldn't cross the other side;
So the pilgrim sought another to be his expert guide
With a boat that could take him through the surging tide.

The sailor man was strong and he steered the boat so well
Or did the river bear the boat?  It was so hard to tell;
The sailor told the pilgrim of the signs that he might seek
Of the secrets of the river and the message it would speak.

Then the pilgrim felt the peace so he listened and he heard
The murmer of the river and sighs of whispered word;
He heard the river laugh and then he heard it cry
And the pilgrim heard the message as sad tears filled his eye.

He heard the drums of war in the torrent of the rain
And the awful cries of anguish that he never could explain;
Was there a reason for the crossing, or where the river ran
Was there another reason for the journey of this man?

He heard the sounds of death, he heard the sounds of mirth
But nothing that he heard gave tribute to the earth;
The sounds were fused together till they reached a common goal
And the quiver of his heartbeat found a cadence in his soul.

The river lost its birthplace and embraced the open sea
And the pilgrim gave his thanks on reverent bended knee
He opened up his eyes as the sunrise slowly died
But the sailor man had gone and the boat rocked on the tide.

The river filled his veins till the two at last were one
While the tide rolled on forever and earth went round the sun;
The pilgrim was the river and the boat and sailor man
Were the journey of the song, the singing river sang.




This is my adaptation of "The Ferryman" by Herman Hesse

Details | River Poem |

Egyptian Thoughts

I sometimes think of traveling to a mysterious distant land
To Cairo and the River Nile and walk on Egyptian sand
The Ismalia Folklore Festival brings together many nations
In the land so aptly called The Land of Civilizations
I ask for Wadjet to protect me as I see all that I can
At night, Nut puts on a show that could not be produced by man
I see the children playing with hearts so full of love
Thanking Hathor for the blessings that were sent from far above
Osiris please stay away as I'm not ready yet
I need to change my life as I too long have followed Set
Egyptian thoughts come and that's when this old sailor cries
As I remember a beautiful woman with dark Egyptian eyes
I pray to Anuket to once again see the River Nile
And to Isis that she would return the magic for a while
The mystery and the culture are only part of what you'll find
I smile to myself as Egyptian thoughts cross my mind.

Details | River Poem |

The River Mersey and The Black Pearl New Brighton

 The River Mersey and The Black Pearl New Brighton 

Let the Caribee and sultry sea call to the pirates bold. 
But on this shore, with its tales of lore, The Mersey keeps its hold
For merchants, priests and pirates too left these docks to find
A new life abroad with bible or sword, leaving their old life far behind

They ventured near and ventured far across the seven seas
Across foreign lands, jungles and sands and swamps way past their knees
And though they prospered, lived and fought in many a distant place
The Mersey’s banks beckoned them as fast as its tidal pace

No matter where in the world they are they’ll never forget the sound
Of the Mersey’s constant ebb and flow or the feel of the sandstone ground
So dream and wander; take to sea and soothe your wanderlust
For you know that within yourself, you’ll return - and that’s a must

Whether mortal body, spirit or mind, or everlasting soul
The wanderer always returns to the place that made them whole
Empires built and Empires lost and many a treasure gone
There’s always the constant, aching yearn by each and every one

To step on this land, on the Mersey sand, or mud up to their shin
And reminisce of the old ferries and the loud New Brighton din
To sail across the river on an ancient battered boat
That’s survived the years of ravages and yet still remains afloat 

The Black Pearl’s every timber was washed upon the beach
Beyond salvage from wrecks of ships, beyond anybody’s reach
Returning too to their resting place they floated harmlessly
Or tossed upon the sandstone rock with a tempest’s cruel fury 

Her many flags fly from her masts as if in a never-ending toast
To ships and boats of every size and shape from every coast
They too salute this edifice of flotsam, debris and waste
As they sail from mighty Liverpool to beat the tide as they make haste

But Black Pearl is deeply anchored with piles into the rock
Her builders come from all walks of life, from every social stock
She thrives on more additions from visitors galore
And let’s their imaginations carry them further still and more

To the Caribee and the sultry sea and to pirates in their coves
To the hidden buried treasures and stories of wealth and loves
Children young and children old and children in between 
Can stand upon her shipshape decks and be what they want to seem

For the Black Pearl’s made of magic and stories still untold
And to all who step upon her decks she lets their tales unfold
So climb aboard and let’s set sail and ride the river’s waves
And never move a moment amid stories of lagoons and caves

Let the stories wash and ebb and flow and be spun with yarn and jest 
Cast off the fetters of your mind and let your tales just be the best
Close your eyes, feel the breeze and smell the salty air 
Allow your fantasies to unfurl, like the flags fluttering there.

Details | River Poem |

The Magic River

Deep inside the forest of the Elvin King.
There flows a magic river from an ancient spring.
They say its special waters hold the mystery of youth.
And should you take one little drink you’ll know that it’s the truth.

The waters all originate from way up in a fountain.
That’s hidden very cleverly inside of Elvin Mountain.
The extraordinary liquid looks like little diamond chips.
Granting youth to everyone with one or two small sips.

The river has a secret that is only known to elves.
For centuries, the mystery still kept between themselves.
They say it is the reason that they live so very long.
And that aside from giving youth it also makes them strong.

People come to drink the waters from the distant lands.
Even from the ocean and the beaches rich with sands.
Everyone has tried to guess its power through the years.
Little do the people know the river’s strength is tears.

For every time a little baby elf begins to cry.
They take the little baby tears up to the mountain high.
They drop them in the fountain where they travel down the spring.
Creating all the magic that the river waters bring.

One small sip of precious water on a person’s tongue.
Will instantly transform them to the way when they were young.
So if you find the Magic River take a sip or two.
For it will surely make you feel just like you are brand new.

Details | River Poem |

I Am The River

I Am The River…
I am the river;
poured out
of God’s  
celestial pitcher:
a full river;
swollen with His tears.

I am the river;
my banks hold
the flow
of a nation:
denied, crucified, died,
resurrected and sanctified.

I am the river;
my tributaries flow
wide and deep—
outward, inward, upward,
downward and back
to the source.

I am the river;
The flowing essence
Of a mother’s womb—come 
Wade in my history
And let the wetness of ourstory
bathe away all your delusions.

I am the river;
the river 
of your birth:
come and swim in me.

Details | River Poem |

River Walk

River Walk 


streaming from heaven
moonbeams stroll on the river …
gazing up at stars  



08-27-2014

Contest:     One Solo EPIC Senryu or Haiku - River Walk
Sponsor:     Poet Destroyer A
Placement:  3rd