To sit by the great Mississippi on a warm summer day <br /> is one of the joys of living. <br /> In this setting of pristine beauty, <br /> a vast panorama unfolds like a scroll. <br /> The vaulted sky reveals the existence of other worlds. <br /> Towering trees defy the pull of gravity. <br /> The warm summer breeze is the elixir of life. <br /> The soft green grass offers comfort and rest. <br /> While the inexorable power of the river <br /> over life and death rides on its crest. <br /> As I watch this vast expanse of water <br /> coming and going like time flowing into eternity, <br /> a hypnotic haze descends, <br /> and I'm overwhelmed by the powerful surge. <br /> The helpless victim of a relentless force, <br /> I struggle in the currents - sometimes <br /> submerged - sometimes my head <br /> above water - reaching franticaly for beckoning <br /> branches to pull myself to high ground. <br /> In this strange illusion, the ageless river <br /> carries me away in the tide <br /> on a course of no return. <br /> However strong the waves, it is my destiny!<br /><br />Henry Botts<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-river-and-i/
