The Tiber River Poem by Patrick O'Reilly

The traffic ran one way
Down the old main drag
As I stood on the bridge of the Tiber River
The traffic ran one way
Down the old main drag
And I gazed at the ruins all scattered ‘round
And there were boards on the windows
Of the musty old houses
And they were ruins, all scattered ‘round

The wind was a-blowing
It was late September
As I stood on the bridge of the Tiber River
The window was a-howling
It was late September
And I gazed at the leaves on the soft, dirty ground
And I cursed on each one
That jumped down off each tree
There were ruins all scattered ‘round

The waves were rolling
If I remember
As I stood on the bridge of the Tiber River
The waves they were rolling
If I remember
And the river’s waters ran ragged and brown
The salt of the ocean
Was in my cuts and my bruises
There were ruins all scattered ‘round

I allow I’ll come back
Sometime in summer
Just to stand on the bridge of the Tiber River
I allow I’ll come back
Some day, and some summer
If I make enough money in town
And I’ll lay down and die
On the soft, dirty ground
With the rest of the ruined old things scattered ‘round