River Terrig
For the most part, a lazy ambling brook
Chattering over the bleached stones,
Meandering through rough boulders
Strewn untidily in its leisurely path.
Cows and sheep quench their thirst,
Churning up silt, muddying the water.
The riverbank, home to small mammals
Scurrying to and fro among the weeds.
Heavy rain transforms the stream’s torpor
Into an angry torrent, frothing and raging,
The turbulence carries all before it.
The precipitation ceases, the turmoil subsides.
The rampaging and bubbling fury spent,
The water slows to a dilatory trickle.
The River Terrig continues in its course.
RJG
Copyright RJG 2001