I seen a limb floating down the river the other day <br />without pride or humiliation there it lay <br />not knowing where it was going <br />upon the water flowing, away <br />who knows where it may land <br />on a muddy bank <br />or perhaps a beach of sand, or sank <br />it has no control of its fate <br />at any rate <br />its in the rivers hand <br />it was once part of a tree <br />now its on the water flowing free <br />just for a moment, not knowing; <br />I could see <br />once it bore leaves that fell to the ground <br />now to the rivers might it is bound <br />a new life <br />it has somehow found <br />without notion it was gone <br />at the speed of the waters motion <br />it moved quickly on <br />I thought it moved by quick <br />and realized one day it was part of a tree that was alive <br />and now just a big stick taking a dive <br />even if it rests on a bank of sand <br />it is still sank and of another land <br />its life is gone <br />held afloat propelled by water <br />its moving on.<br /><br />ERNEST CLARY<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-limbs-life/
