the river's grace (a poem)

The River's Grace

I went down to the river,

I've got a rod, I've got a line.

"Oh, river gods," I whispered low,

"Let moonlit scales in sunlight glow."

I casted my hook in the river deep,

Where denizens of the water sleep.

Long it was, waiting for it,

Beneath the water's whispered kiss,

A flicker danced, a silver bliss.

But ah, the dance, fleeting as a dream,

Swifter than moonlight paints the frosted stream.

Faster, perhaps than fireflies take flight,

Leaving whispered embers in the starry night.

No feast tonight, no crackling fire,

Just ashes cold, and hollow ire.

The river keeps its treasures deep,

Leaving dreams lost, while souls still weep.

Perhaps tomorrow, when the sun

Brushes the stream with golden fire,

A silver flash, a chase begun,

May set my longing heart afire.

Or maybe not, and that's okay,

For in the stillness, I have found,

A different treasure, dawn at play,

And peace that wraps the river's sound.

-cunsen