Riverish – 2012 posting

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Riverish – 2012 posting

January 24, 2012 by Betty Hayes Albright

(I’m afraid this is what happens when you allow the muse to spin into a blur.)

Rivers run

they do not walk

they crest a dam

and do not talk

just smoothing rocks

and rocking banks

in curving stones

and filling lakes

with bubbled lights

and gillied fishes

feeding wells

and granting wishes

silver curved

pastoral scenes

in flows of bold

through forest greens

and wearing blue

borrowed from the sky

where falling water

dragons fly

in grassy hair

and clover pops

through sunny glare

and mossy tops

the river

knows

its way.

41 Responses

on January 24, 2012 at 8:51 pm | Reply Dennis N. O'Brien

Hey I like it – I like it a lot, good ole muse. 🙂

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- on January 24, 2012 at 8:59 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thanks, Dennis – it’s hot off the press and I wasn’t really going to post it. If nothing else, it sorta rhymes. 🙂
  
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on January 24, 2012 at 8:55 pm | Reply lscotthoughts

I love it, Betty, and it has a magical rhythm and flow~ Congratulations to your muse! Hugs!

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- on January 24, 2012 at 9:01 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thanks, Lauren – not sure my muse deserves congratulations or a stern lecture about posting before the ink is even dry. 🙂
  
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on January 24, 2012 at 9:45 pm | Reply cottonbombs

The river moves yet it goes nowhere. The river meanders taking the path of least resistance to find its way. What a wonderful subject for poetry, Betty!

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- on January 25, 2012 at 2:04 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Glad you liked it, Peter!
  
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on January 24, 2012 at 11:10 pm | Reply The Henry Brothers

superb – love the rhythm and fast river flow of this poem….

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- on January 25, 2012 at 2:04 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thank you, Henry Brothers. 🙂
  
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on January 25, 2012 at 12:36 am | Reply Vampire Weather

I felt a tad bit of Seuss in the opening lines and it made me smile. Your work is far more brilliant though, so I shall not compare. What can I say? You’re a master!

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- on January 25, 2012 at 2:07 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  VW, thank you – (the Dr. Seuss comparison would be flattering – as he IS much better at telling a story than I am. 🙂 )
  
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on January 25, 2012 at 1:47 am | Reply willowdot21

BEAUTIFUL xxxxxxxxx

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- on January 25, 2012 at 2:08 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thanks, Willow!
  
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on January 25, 2012 at 2:35 am | Reply planaquarium

I had to read it again out loud, I love the rolling rhythm of the bubble and flow – great title, too! Excellent work, as usual. 🙂

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- on January 25, 2012 at 2:10 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thank you, Planaquarium, for your comment! (It’s always a great compliment when someone reads a poem out loud. 🙂 )
  
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on January 25, 2012 at 3:22 am | Reply neelthemuse

Nice flow there Betty……

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- on January 25, 2012 at 2:12 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thanks, Neel. 🙂
  
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on January 25, 2012 at 3:34 am | Reply Christine Moran

Betty, this flows just like a river!!

And I just adore the lines,

“and wearing blue
borrowed from the sky”…

Just magic as always!

Love

Christine xx

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- on January 25, 2012 at 2:13 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thank you, Christine! Glad you thought it was magic – (I think it actually came from just being sleepy. 🙂 )
  
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on January 25, 2012 at 3:49 am | Reply Martin Shone

How else can a river be described, but by your words, Betty.

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- on January 25, 2012 at 2:14 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  That’s so nice of you to say, Martin!
  
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on January 25, 2012 at 4:10 am | Reply C.L. Sostarich

Betty this poem is masterful. Your words sparkle and roll, and the short lines are perfect to lead us on our journey down the river.

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- on January 25, 2012 at 2:15 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thanks, C.L. – glad you enjoyed the “journey” – (not sure where the river was going, but hopefully to the sea. 🙂 )
  
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on January 25, 2012 at 5:38 am | Reply df barker

Gorgeous! Flows just like a river…!

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- on January 25, 2012 at 2:16 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thank you, David!!
  
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on January 25, 2012 at 2:09 pm | Reply granbee

We should all model our writing after this river–running free, knowing the way instinctively, light-reflecting, dancing, hosting the critters, celebrating life itself. I LOVE this poem, Betty! Grab that Muse’s hand and run away from home more often, girl!

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- on January 25, 2012 at 2:22 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thanks so much, Granbee… I really wasn’t going to even post this- wasn’t sure if it was coherent enough. It was okay to the right side of my brain, but my left brain kept saying “stop”! Sometimes we just have to go with the flow – as you are so good at, with your series of creature/critter journey descriptions. 🙂
  
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on January 25, 2012 at 8:54 pm | Reply Caddo Veil

I love “clover pops”–and that the river knows its way!

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- on January 26, 2012 at 2:57 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thanks, Sister of the Sea Caddo! 🙂
  
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on January 26, 2012 at 12:21 pm | Reply Lindy Lee

Your river runs with resounding rhythm and well-placed rhyme…

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- on January 26, 2012 at 2:58 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thank you for stopping by, Lindy Lee 🙂
  
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on January 26, 2012 at 6:34 pm | Reply Thomas Davis

The miracle is, Betty, that I cannot tell, for the life of me, what poem you wrote back in the 1960s from one that tumbled off the press into a river flowing over boulders and through shallows to the sea. This is a dancing poem that reaches for cleverness and keeps achieving it over and over again line by line. Of course,
the river
knows
its way.

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- on January 26, 2012 at 9:24 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thomas, thank you again for such another nice comment! (Of course you haven’t seen the really BAD stuff I wrote in the ’60’s which remains hidden in the file cabinet. Ninety percent was teenage boy-crazy angsty stuff. 🙂 )
  
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on January 28, 2012 at 11:48 pm | Reply Aurora, HSP

Simply lovely!

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- on January 29, 2012 at 10:07 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thank you, Aurora!!
  
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on January 29, 2012 at 8:44 am | Reply Angela

Another gem, Betty! I love that your poetry is flowing again – and what a wonderful metaphor, the river, for your soul to suggest to you that the dams have burst and you are again in full, rapturous, poetic flow. I, for one, and grateful! 🙂

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on January 29, 2012 at 10:08 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright

Thank you, Angela, for the nice comment! Yes, it does feel good to have the writer’s block dam bursting at last (or at least it has sprung a few leaks. 🙂 )

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on January 31, 2012 at 3:32 pm | Reply Ben Naga

Truly successful.

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- on February 2, 2012 at 3:18 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thanks, Ben – glad you think so! (Maybe I should’ve titled it “Stream” – for stream of consciousness though… 🙂 )
  
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  - on February 2, 2012 at 5:25 pm | Reply Ben Naga
    
    😀
    
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on February 2, 2012 at 8:40 am | Reply bardessdmdenton

This flows like a meandering magnificent river, Betty…and I’m so glad you posted!

You really showed how ‘the river knows its way.’

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- on February 2, 2012 at 3:18 pm | Reply Betty Hayes Albright
  
  Thank you again Bardess – for all the wonderful comments today. 🙂
  
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