Do the waters
of the mighty Mississippi
ever stop flowing?
Do they pause
to wonder
where they are going?
If they could
would they tell
their own story?
Currents of madness
sadness, wild wonder
and glory?
Could it be
the only place they
are free to stop and speak,
would be
a swamp, a pond
or a rather small creek?
And if these tales
they could tell
to the likes of man,
would it, could it
be something
wonderful and grand?
To really know
we would surely need
a translator to explain.
Only one human could ever truly fathom
the rivers despair and delight,
that old river boat captain, Mark Twain.
And now
with Samuel Clemens
long since gone,
we may never again, fully comprehend
the beauty and wonder
of the mighty Mississippi's amazing song.
Wonderful poem Smoky. Shame some schools are taking Old Samuel Langhorne Clemens works out of circulation because they are not politically correct. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are a classic. I often wonder just what exactly kids are being taught in school anymore.
Lovely poem. We don’t understand what a river says but those mighty rivers have this power to leave us speechless and in awe. Thank you for sharing this beautiful tribute.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Hey, Smoky! I like this homage to Twain. Yes, certainly one of America’s greatest writers. Oddly perhaps this poem reminds me of a scene from Hesse’s Siddhartha where Gautama has a transcendental experience by a river. Suggestion—for the shape of this poem consider making the long last line into two shorter ones. All the best to you! -Glen