08 May 2011

The River

She breathes as its current embroiders seaweed
through tiny holes in spirit.
Water slides beneath her.
Branches tug at her hair, snap
and become part of the flow.
The river supersedes her.

In the morning
mist rises and evaporates.
Released from darkness
she eddies,
a silver white glisten
floating on the Mighty Mo.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On Wednesday this week, the body of a missing young woman was found in the Missouri River in my community near where we walk our dogs.  Every year somebody drowns.  Foul play is suspected in this instance, but no one knows what happened.  This piece was inspired by that event, and by a wordle made up of the words of poets many of you visit every day. Look for a new wordle every week, and visit the work of other inventive poets at A Wordling Whirl of Sundays.  We'd love to have you join the group and write with us.  A new wordle is posted every Sunday night at 12:01 a.m. Mountain Standard Time.

18 comments:

M. A. S. said...

It is amazing that you wrote that from a wordle. First, I can't even write about a lot of stuff that would affect me that personally. Second, It's beautiful. And the words were pre-chosen for you.

Fantastic!

Mike

Mariya Koleva said...

Oh, it is after a real event! So brilliantly done and very touchingly detached. I like it very much!

Mary said...

Strong images in this poem, based on a real situation. I like

"Branches tug at her hair, snap
and become part of the flow."

Sad about the young woman...someone's daughter, sister, friend. Life ended too soon.

brenda w said...

~Mike, Thank you for your visit and comments. My writing is often from the personal...sometimes I don't even recognize that until later.
~Annell, Thanks!
~Mariya, Thank you for your commments and visit.
~Mary, It is a tragedy. She was 24 years old, and ran with a rough crowd. For that reason she will likely be forgotten by the community at large rather quickly. Some things get swept under rugs.

annell4 said...

The wordle took me for a journey to the past, got swept up, in your choice of words. Thanks.

flaubert said...

Beautifully done, Brenda. What a horribly tragic story. Like Mary said she was someone's daughter, sister and friend. What a very sad mother's day for her mom.

Pamela

Stan Ski said...

Water is usually associated with life - a sobering thought that it is also often the cause of death.

Elizabeth said...

Really well done. The natural flow of the wordle words, and yet you maintain a gentle, awareness of the delicate subject you chose to write about. Wonderful Brenda, you honor her though others, as you have said, might soon dismiss her.

Elizabeth

Maude Lynn said...

Excellent write!

Anonymous said...

A touching poem and sad, sad story. Especially the line, 'The river supersedes her.'

Anonymous said...

Hauntingly vivid telling of what we could never personally know. Well done.

lucychili said...

it sounds like a release

vivinfrance said...

Ophelia personified. Beautiful poem, Brenda.

Marianne said...

Well done, Brenda. You've captured the significance of the moment.

Gemma Wiseman said...

Strange how some only become known in death circumstances! Their personality is never known! A challenging, sad, beautiful poem!

Mr. Walker said...

A sad story, beautifully told. I love "The river supersedes her." - simple, but frightening. And the second stanza, how the night gives way to day, and the mist rises and turns back to vapor, revealing that "silver white glisten" - very effective.

Hyde Park Poetry Palace said...

stunning imagery, wow.

Glad to discover your poetry talent,
Impressed,
Share a free verse with us today, bless you.
Keep up the excellence.
xxx

Henry Clemmons said...

What agreat poem from that word list. Great skill.