And when the river told it forever had long been happening;
It saw in its midst the place arising and there, people gathering,
These people; clansmen, nomads and more decide upon society…
New gods close the doors and make paupers of those old,
Urd no longer knows the future as surely as it had once told.
And when the river told it, it told it in swirls of red,
Told of a performance of many that left a great many dead,
It told it in battle where it saw men slaughtered like cattle…
But as the river told it, its waters once more ran clear,
The river that had run forever had forgotten the fallen that lay here.
And when the river told it, it had nurtured those that stayed,
Whose trinkets had become industrialised and traded far away,
The town now tells the river in a maelstrom of clutter…
And when the town told it the river was already old; older than old
New ways close the door on old gods and rivers no longer know.
Comments
skinner_jennifer | October 6, 2010 - 12:17
Hi Dan Ryder,
You write an awsome poem here. What stories the
river could tell, if it could talk.
But I didn't understand the last line: New ways close
the door on old gods and rivers no longer know.
Could you explain please, thankyou. Otherwise I liked
this one.
Jenny.
Dan Ryder | October 6, 2010 - 14:32
The river, as the narrator, is recounting events that have happened near it. The last sentence is the present, 'new ways close the door on old gods' is the modern society and science replacing what was previous and more superstitious. The river I was trying to make appear constant but the modern age makes a captive of the river, industry drinks it dry and the people pollute it, the river no longer knows. Thankyou for the kind words Jenny.
Dan.
skinner_jennifer | October 6, 2010 - 16:32
Ah right, I understand now. Thanks.
Jenny.
RachelPatricia | October 12, 2010 - 00:07
Love this, Dan. It's good to be back online and reading your stuff again.
Especially like the stanza structure you've chosen here, with the unrhyming centre lines - just like a river, they run through this piece and I find it works really well.
As always, mind-bending, inspiring language throughout - much admiration for the opening lines of each stanza in particular, and also the repetition of '...and when the river told it...' - adds a tidal-like metre to the whole piece.
Very good stuff, also like where your head was at when writing this - I agree entirely :)
Rachel xx