Rivers of Tears

 

Rivers of Tears

~

once lithe and vital
nature’s great rivers
lie choked and bloated

buried misshapen
in watery graves
of reckless progress

headstone’d
by constructs
of human folly

their bones
stained
with the ghosts of salmon

borne away
on the tears
of the ancients

~ ~ ~

rob kistner © 2012

…inspired by the ecological damage being done by the ill-conceived hydro-electric dams now choking many of the Pacific Northwest’s, and the earth’s mighty rivers, and the pollution we dump so recklessly into our critical and dwindling fresh water tributaries…

20 thoughts on “Rivers of Tears”

  1. So glad to have fond you here, as well as dVerse. Either place I enjoyed what I read here. this poem of the environmental elements such as the dams choking the Pacific northwest rivers is something I thank you making me aware.

  2. the poem speaks of a great sadness committed towards our waterways…terrible…but the good news is that this particular one has been cleaned up a lot and the fish are coming back!! Great poem. Thankyou

    1. Karen, I’m afraid it is quite so, and the pollution we dump into the fresh water of our rivers, is going to one day come back to haunt us in so many ways — it won’t be just the ghosts of salmon…

  3. beautiful but sad….but so right we have to shout it from the rooftops..we are in a drought situation here..our seasons turned inside out……

  4. Rob, such a tender ache for what was…before we stepped in had our say…sad that we learn so slowly sometimes, seemingly making the same mistakes over and over again. But there is always hope and beautifully written words set free to touch hearts and maybe make a difference. 🙂

  5. It’s terrible that humans have befouled their own nest, so to speak. Your poem reminds us that such things must not be too far from mind.

  6. Hey Rob i wish youd stop making me face reality and just let me live in my zombie like trance state where everything is loveliness and light and hunky – dory . Thanks, Kuta’
    Yet i suspect the river will still be there , long after we are back as fish !

  7. Rob, as an activist, this is exactly my cup of tea: Strong, bitter, and stirring within me. Your point is so well taken. People seem to feel that unless the river runs smack dab through their town or their yard, it’s no big deal. Fact is, all the dams built during the 30s are starting to crumble; in the meantime, more and more rivers and streams are depriving Native Americans and others of water here… not to mention the infernal, unregulated charges people abroad must pay to get even a trickle. THANKS for putting this on the map, on people’s minds. It should make everyone uncomfortable. That’s the heart of activism, poetic or otherwise. BRAVO. Amy
    http://sharplittlepencil.com/2012/05/08/moon-beams-dverse/

  8. “and a river runs through it”, our dreams, our hazy memories of clear waters and sparkling flows. Leave it to you to come up with a Green poem; love it.

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