Moonwalking at The Walk’s Moon Cafe
March 1, 2012
Where Does Siquijor’s Magic Come from?
March 28, 2012
Kawasan Falls, Matutinao, Badian, Cebu, Philippines
It was a sleepless night. I was reading this poem in the wee hours of the morning at McDonald’s Mango while waiting for Mara, the PR consultant of Terra Manna Camping and Resort. I didn’t know that we would visit the river that kept on flowing in my memory. Rivers are ardent travelers and drifters. Rivers are lives not lived.
The river
Of my childhood,
That tumbled
Down a passage of rocks
And cut-work ferns,
Came here and there
To the swirl
And slowdown
Of a pool
And I say myself-
Oh, clearly-
As I knelt at one-
Then I saw myself
As if carried away,
As the river moved on.
Where have I gone?
Since then
I have looked and looked
For myself,
Not sure
Who I am, or where,
Or, more importantly, why.
It’s okay-
I have had a wonderful life.
Still, I ponder
Where that other is-
Where I landed,
What I thought, what I did,
What small or even maybe meaningful deeds
I might have accomplished
Somewhere
Among strangers,
Coming to them
As only a river can-
Touching every life it meets-
That endlessly kind, that enduring.
Friday Poetry translates a personal experience that reminds me of a line or an entire poem.
10 Comments
Hi,
Really nice poem, and I love the photos. 🙂
Thanks, Mags. Oliver is a naturalist poet. Her poems are drawn from the places around her 🙂
very beautiful …
Thanks, Ellen! A poem every Friday 🙂
Wow! I love the wonderfully written poem and the lovely pictures. I hope the river and waterfalls stay pristine for the generations to come. 😉
I do hope, Malou. Cause tourism brings havoc to nature. But if we have responsible tourists and travelers like us, we don’t have to worry. 😀
Loved these! 🙂
[…] A River Far Away and Long Ago (jonabering.wordpress.com) […]
Speechless as I saw these pictures.:-) Great poem too.
It’s my favorite river here in Cebu, Philippines. It was actually crowded. The place is always full of Koreans and Westerners.