river
River Travelers
They know this river, know it well.
Daily, they bring their fruit to sell.
We, who find the river strange
reach out our bills as we lack change,
for what they’ve brought to us from shore.
They hand out more and more and more
to strangers whom they must find dense
to give them such great recompense
for what God has amply provided.
All their village has derided
those who float by in big boats,
holding out their ten sol notes
that would buy every bunch they carry.
They wonder why we do not tarry
for our change after we pay.
Silent, they watch us float away.
The baby held in mother’s arms
does not know what nearby harms
lurk beneath the water’s cloak—
the jaws that snap, the water’s soak.
But we know what small guarantee
exists in lives of poverty.
Rubbed raw, perhaps, by all we have,
our generosity is salve.
lifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown 
Very poignant words, Judy.
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A vivid and poignant image.
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two different worlds, one river
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Exactly
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Oh, very nicely done. Great mastery of rhyme and rhythm here, so that we can almost forget that this poem has a form and concentrate on the message. Lovely write.
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No greater compliment but that the rhyme and disappear when you read the poem. Thanks, Sarah.
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Beautiful photo, great poem and great memories of times past~! Thanks~!
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That boat is another world. You expressed it beautifully. Very empathetic. Really liked this line “to strangers whom they must find dense
to give them such great recompense” ha! Nicely done. ~Jay
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Thanks, Jay..
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My pleasure.
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I really enjoyed this. Descriptive of who, what and why. If that makes sense.
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Thanks, Mary.
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This is such a great narrative of third-world life and its interactions with the “haves”!!
I loved this…
They hand out more and more and more
to strangers whom they must find dense
to give them such great recompense
for what God has amply provided.
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Thanks, Roth..It is fun to imagine oneself from someone else’s perspective.
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Yes it is, and you did a great job giving us that feeling. Thank you.
Dwight
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Ooops. Dwight.
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That’s ok don’t worry!…
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Very evocative and poignant words. You have painted a picture of a lived experience that speaks to the heart and soul.
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Thanks, Mother Wintermoon. That was a very special trip.
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We are all humans… but there is always that divide… rich and poor… we on land they in water… I hope they still love a good life.
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I hope so, too. Generally it seemed to me that people in third world countries were happier in spite of less of everything. That is a gross simplification, but I think America is a good example of what happens when people have too much.
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