Shadows of a River
Columbus, Ohio
September 22, 1988
September 22, 1988
A sudden eclipse of the sun
settles darkness in surprise.
The Olentangy River walks
along the civilized path
of fences and concrete barriers,
of the moving muddiness,
of certainty, becoming clearer.
Cars rush and reverberate overhead,
following their headlight beams
that flash along the rusty rails,
broken glass, and paper scraps.
Smoking from damp driftwood,
homeless fires burn.
And a bat's flickering flight
welcomes the night.
A full moon rises
with the rabbit hopping;
blue is bounded by a fluttering moth
revealing the rippled reflection
etched to an outline of trees.
Planetlight passes, yet unperceived.
Mars only comes this near
every seventeen years, but ---
still too distant to touch,
the silent sounds of polar ice,
and faint dusky markings
in red rocky ground.
Reaching out my hands,
I can only grasp
the emptiness of dreams
in the flow of a river.
// © by wataru ebihara
settles darkness in surprise.
The Olentangy River walks
along the civilized path
of fences and concrete barriers,
of the moving muddiness,
of certainty, becoming clearer.
Cars rush and reverberate overhead,
following their headlight beams
that flash along the rusty rails,
broken glass, and paper scraps.
Smoking from damp driftwood,
homeless fires burn.
And a bat's flickering flight
welcomes the night.
A full moon rises
with the rabbit hopping;
blue is bounded by a fluttering moth
revealing the rippled reflection
etched to an outline of trees.
Planetlight passes, yet unperceived.
Mars only comes this near
every seventeen years, but ---
still too distant to touch,
the silent sounds of polar ice,
and faint dusky markings
in red rocky ground.
Reaching out my hands,
I can only grasp
the emptiness of dreams
in the flow of a river.
// © by wataru ebihara