“Riverine Rite”
cedar planks forget the shore,
as current claims its kill;
What once was spoken,
speaks no more
Beneath the water’s will.
They that stepped
from off the bank
were bathed in silver light;
old distinctions slowly sank
into descending night.
Between prow and steering oar,
No contract binds the two—
No labels dragged from dusty lore,
No names for what is new.
They do not catch each other’s eyes
To find a settled place;
They watch instead, a heron flies,
through stars in outer space.
A third thing pulls the heavy raft,
A cold but holy weight;
carving soul in ancient craft
leaving mind in wait.
For why define a moving tide
Or cage the wind in breath?
They simply journey side-by-side,
Beyond the reach of death.
The river shifts, the brothers change,
The banks are never known;
Their path vibrant as is strange,
they’re never left alone.
For in the flow where nothing stays,
Their formless bond is free—
A prayer of foam and quiet days
That seeks the boundless sea.
.
-
Author:
crypticbard (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: March 22nd, 2026 05:45
- Comment from author about the poem: Thinking of age-old tales along the Mississippi (or Ohio, if you please)
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 19
- Users favorite of this poem: sorenbarrett, Tristan Robert Lange
- In collections: 2026.
Offline)
Comments8
good write my friend
Thanks, dear Norman 🙏🏻🕊️
always welcome
If not for yesterday's poem and exchange and the note I would be left wondering but it seems clear where this is aimed. It holds beautiful image and leaves a feeling of being free from time and society's constraints. Nature has no pocket watch, she runs on her own time table and so it seems here timeless and as if one were frozen in a childhood time. Love it Cryptic a fave
Now that’s wonderfully poetic and from a much better angle than the poem itself, Soren. Thank you dear friend 🙏🏻🕊️
Most welcome Cryptic
My friend, this carries a steady, almost meditative pull…moving beyond labels, beyond definition, into something shared but unspoken. “A third thing pulls the heavy raft” and “No labels dragged from dusty lore” really hold that center. It’s not about naming it…it’s about moving within it. Beautifully done, arqios. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️
That strikes at certain moments and experiences of our growing up days. Perhaps even a hankering for the rite of passage that many have been denied in later generations. Thanks for bringing that upbringing, dear Tittu🙏🏻🕊️
Good write A.
Thanks, O🙏🏻🕊️
Could the River be a Metaphor for Life's Journey?
Good one.
Was it too obvious? 😊🙏🏻🕊️
Caging the wind in breath, all by itself is enough imagery. Beneath the water’s will is literally the undercurrent of this. The mystery of no names for what is new. Well thought out and expressed.
Thanks Dan, for letting me know. That’s truly validating 🕊️🙏🏻
Fine write Rik.
Andy
Thanks, Andy🙏🏻🕊️
a good write - could visualize the scene...
That's incredible! Good to know. Thanks Safina 🙏🕊️
glad to appreciate good work - waiting for more...
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