ON THE RIVER
| Below the snow-capped mountains Where it collected melting snow A small stream became a river And with pride began its flow From its birthplace in the mountains It would seek its destiny And with nature's hand to guide it It would find the waiting sea Near its source beneath the mountains In this wonderland retreat You'll sometimes glimpse the rugged brumbies And hear the pounding of their feet In this resplendent valley So free from worldly care Numerous animals roam freely In the fresh, clean mountain air It is here my dog and I Launch our slender boat My old dog's tail is wagging He is glad that we're afloat My old dog is sure footed I am yet to see him slip He takes his place up forward He's the captain of our 'ship' For the remainder of the day It will be our solemn quest To glide gently down the river As Mother Nature's guest This river in the mountains Has its own identity It has entrancing scenes of nature And sweet serenity The cool waters in the mountains Sparkle with a radiance grand Crystal clear and unpolluted Unspoiled by human hand Guided only by the valleys A silver ribbon 'neath the sun The river flows with grace and beauty 'Til its objective has been won It flows past peaceful bushland Where the gift of nature's powers Command golden rays of sunlight To give life to countless flowers Towering mountain ranges Smile down on the river's flow Like sentinels they've stood there Perhaps a billion years or so In this tranquil wildlife haven Protected from all human harm Creatures live in quiet contentment They seldom feel alarm Some gather at the river They pause at the waters brink And cheekily observe us While they have a cooling drink As wild ducks vacate the river Such a pleasant sound it brings It's a harmony of nature It's a symphony of wings The river glides past rocky outcrops And crosses sandy bars It will at night reflect the beauty Of the celestial moon and stars A group of Wattle trees stand proudly They bathe us with a perfume rare As their yellow globes of blossom Launch their fragrance in the air We hear a lullaby of nature As the river flows along The waters lapping at the banks Sing a gentle, soothing song Far away from man-made noises Where the mind is clear and free My dog and I enjoy the pleasures Of true tranquillity Mighty Gums and shady Willows Grace the banks on either side Here and there the river narrows Here and there it opens wide On craggy rocky slopes Where the large trees can't survive Smaller hardy native greenery Cling tenaciously and thrive A disappointed wedge-tailed eagle Is circling overhead The rabbit he had planned to dine on Saw his shadow and has fled Midst large boulders from a cliff face A place most creatures shun In solitude a frilled neck lizard Basks sleepily in the sun In the water just beyond us We watch the antics of a trout But the dragonfly fly it's leaping at Insists he can go without We drift closer, slowly closer To this fascinating scene As the trout leaps in the sunlight Its body flaunts a silver sheen Kangaroos are peacefully grazing They observe us, unafraid Midst green grass and countless wildflower This is nature on parade Now, thick forest greets the river And from within its leafy shade A host of birdlife entertain us With a birdland serenade In this gracious growth of forest With its sheltering leaves of green There could be many hidden places Where man has seldom been We hear the magpie chortle And the sweet bush parrot's call And the Kookaburra's laughter The happiest sound of all We watch a wombat slowly strolling Beneath the canopy of trees We can tell by his demeanour That he lives a life of ease A platypus is playing We watch it glide and dive When I'm this close to nature I'm so glad to be alive The 'reserve' now falls behind us And a long way further down We can dimly see the outline Of a quiet country town A wooden bridge that spans the river Is in its final stage It no longer serves the township It is from another age We float beneath its rotting timbers And feel its final days are cast But it brings imaginations That stir visions of the past It seems I hear the horse drawn wagons Passing slowly overhead And my imagination takes me To an age that now is dead As we drift slowly past the township We see children at their play Their happy sounds of laughter Complete a perfect day I feel a slight resentment Because beyond the river's bend A man-made dam will block us We have reached our journey's end We leave the river's current And steer our boat toward the shore We have floated fifteen miles We'd like to float for fifteen more The river hesitates a moment The dam partly blocks its flow Then it cascades down the spillway To the valley far below At the bottom of the spillway Beyond a soft translucent spray We watch our majestic river Flow serenely on its way With many miles before it It will flow through days and nights Passing peaceful country homesteads And entrancing bushland sights My dog and I head homeward Our mind and spirit are at rest We have spent a day with nature And witnessed some of nature's best K.D. Abbott © 2009K.D. Abbott © 2009 |
| NOTE: Brumbies are feral horses. |
| NOTE: You are invited to make copies of any poem on this site for your personal and private use providing the details of copyright are included. The poems are not to be used for commercial purposes or displayed on any website. |
Back to Top of Page Menu
All poems and short stories on this site are protected and
Copyrighted to K. D Abbott 2009. © All rights reserved.
