Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Trivia

Three rivers crossed in ancient Rome
(And cross now here today,)
One was fraught with rock and foam,
rapids, whorls and fray.
Carrying naught but twigs and planks
Men died of thirst along its banks.

The second stream ran slow and wide,
And a turtle's toe in depth.
Though commerce came in at high tide
The merchants never left.
Fishing from the delta flourished,
Though only worms were ever nourished.

The third course, though, was navigated,
Cargo carried from peak to plain.
The captains who sailed her proudly stated
"The stars we follow blind remain."
The river ran deep underground
And fed the others without sound.

The streams that ferry mighty forces
And feed the cascades of invention
Wash borders back out from their sources
And carry forth intention.
But once the water's flow reverses,
New rivers carry different curses.

DISCURSIVE, adj. Following a circular flow.

13 comments:

TLP said...

A new favorite. This is really good. Not gonna make a wise-ass remark.

Mo'a said...

Whew!!!TLP the wait was worth it :)
I must say, however, I had the flag in hand.
Doug this poem is amazing...I am like TLP nothing to say, except to express my admiration for the poet.

tsduff said...

Have you really measured a turtle's toe? I am impressed.

Discursive: My usual style of rambling.

sauerkraut said...

discursive: the logic of politicians.

Anonymous said...

A turtles toe huh? Love it. Great poem Doug. :)

DISCURSIVE, adj. - April 15th

TLP said...

I came back because,

(A)- It occurs to me that my blogson will think I don't love him anymore if I don't make fun of him at least a little.

and

(2) Too much admiration will go to his head.

() I wanted to say that this poem is not Trivia.

k. riggs gardner said...

In the very first stanza it clearly states that one river "carried naught but twigs".

I'm sure readers from other rivers can identify the twig river, so this is, in fact, the Waking Ambrose Wednesday, April 14, 2010 poem entitled "Trivia".

Jim said...

I just love discursive new river you wrote of.
Your poem is nice too, I like the rhyme.
..
BTW, none of the dictionaries I looked in mention 'flows,' 'circular,' or 'following' in their definitions.
'Amusingly digressive,' which seems possibly to fit here, is used.
..

k. riggs gardner said...

Yeah all.

It's pretty late by the EST, but I'm really, really calling it a day. It's been exhausting.

Lammy is teaching Sex Education classes because of Minnie Strator. Ugly Grace is having *Free* Drink Specials and now Lammy and Junior will die of thirst.

I'm mad at my dog because she's being stubborn. My "verification" is NOW not "gligam" but "isessnes".

Buenas noches a todos y para empezar maƱana inteligentes.

x

cooper said...

Love the poem Doug.

discursive - What I do when they tell me I can't print my letters.

k. riggs gardner said...

And NOW there are 20-year-old Zombies roaming the Underworld !! Someone please put me out of my misery !! Either that or give me a forlorn love-letter ... and a Bayer aspirin !!

k. riggs gardner said...

Where the HELL is sauerkraut when you need him? What about that O. Poobah guy? Bear? Darth Vader? The Cookie Monster ...

Doug The Una said...

Thanks, TLP, but I might feel abandoned.

Thank you, Mo'a.

Terry, I timed one, too.

And voters, Sauerkraut.

Thanks, Thom.

That's a good blogmama, TLP.

I'm sure that's right, Karen.

Jim, this blog begins where other dictionaries fail, I suppose.

Buenas noches, Karen.

Ha, Cooper.

Karen, there's probably tylenol at the 7-11. I dunno where the others are.