Voices of the River
By John Herlihy

Water takes its shape from the course of its flow,
Ever fluid and flexible without seeming to know.
Its myriad voices sound as both tinkle and swell,
Echoing ranges of emotion never wishing to quell.
Follow the river through the emerald forest to hear,
The singular symphonies even silence holds dear.

Sun beams cast down their light in flaming shafts,
Bewitching a casual onlooker with its arts and crafts.
Moonbeams cast hesitant glow thru trembling leaves,
Creating a ghostly presence there as unexpected thieves.
The river steals the precious aura of sun and moon alike,
And reflects their misty presence as if in awe, dreamlike.

In the forest, notes of the symphony perpetually sound,
All playing their melodic notes, near, far, and all around.
Over pebbles and small rocks, the waters whispered,
A musical recital with echoes that casually answered.
Flowing down an incline the waters suddenly rushed,
The attendant life in the forest waited silently, hushed.

The waters yawned into the verge, uttered a lion’s roar,
Overhead could be heard a cry as an eagle freely soared.
Once again, the river settled down, gathering in a pool,
Formed by the wash of centuries, sparkling as a jewel.
The river flows ever onward and never seeks to find rest,
Its myriad voices Nature’s music, played at God’s behest.