Like River Grass

behold tall bold river grass
as it sways in a westerly
morning breakfast breeze

moving with overhead cloud
before its flexible backbone
returns to o’clock

while biscuit coloured foxtail
plumes brush the cool dry air
in feather duster tickles

as the whole cycle
repeats like a stuck stylus and
i recall our own species

how we can bend with
wind change to bounce back
after a battering

while some sadly break
to become crushed by
all that’s belligerent

not all are resilient
not all can go with the flow
for even in a lakeside show

casualties of cruelty
inflicted by fickle ways of nature
lie bruised and broken

Reviews

[Robert Trakofler]

LOL I got a crook in my neck and my legs aren't what they used to be my arms can't reach nearly as high and strong as they used to:( I'm trying to get back upright but you'll forgive me if I can't stand as proud as I once was my dear Chris:) but my heart and my spirit still stand 10 feet high and wrestle with all the nettles along the shoreline:) Lovely lovely lovely lines

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Robert, your review warms me. Thank you so much for your kindness. Take good care of yourself.

[John the Baptist]

I have noticed how certain trees, like the mighty oaks, are uprooted by hurricane winds, while the slender saplings bend mightily with the wind, but go with it and then snap back afterward. I think a similar principle is the subject of this poem. The main point is that the trees also represent human behavior. Those of us who are rigid and unyielding are the ones who are broken by life's misfortunes, while the more flexible live to fight another day.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much John. How right you are. I appreciate your thoughtful review. Have a good Saturday.

[Soren]

Chris this was not only beautiful but can be taken at different level. I thought that you might be talking about people not just foxtail plumes. Very nicely done

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much Soren. There is much in people that resembles nature. I appreciate you stopping by.

[Shelley Warner]

That's beautiful, I can see the river grass undulating in the breeze. Love all the descriptive words and phrases, like: "returning to o'clock". And love the life application.

[Chris Shaw]

Your reviews are always appreciated Shelley. Thank you so much.

[red93]

Very interesting and moving Work Chris. Yr Poem made me think of the Nicola Bulley investigation ongoing in the UK atm. We supposedly live in the most civilised Country in the World, yet a normal healthy Woman can still disappear without trace.

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks so much Tony and good morning.Yes, the whole matter of Nicola is more than weird to say the least and ongoing ….Have a good day.

[W. Barrett Munn]

This is quite the tale from grass to people, beautifully rhymed so as to hear the rhymes without noticing them, and terrific emotional impact.

Winston

[Chris Shaw]

You are so supportive of my efforts Winston. Thank you so much.

[Sami Khalil]

An inspiring message in a splendid poetic write. We all should be flexible; should sway and bend when difficulties arise, should rise above the mundane things to claim greater things.
Wowzy!

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks Sami. So pleased you found my poem inspiring. That is lovely to hear. Have a good day.

[Sami Khalil]

You are welcome Chris.

[Pete]

wow, top stuff chris. you know i adore nature and its strong resiliency and resolve hold many lessons and examples for us. i could hear and see that tall grass swaying as i read. nature always seems to have a way of bouncing back and recovering to continue on, that which breaks part of a recycling of sorts ... :)

“We need the tonic of wildness... At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.” - Thoreau

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Pete, thank you for your lovely review and especially for sharing that Thoreau quite. Yes nature is amazing and you are right, it bounces back.

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

‘ not all are resilient
not all can go with the flow
for even in a lakeside show ’
Love the above lines a lot
It’s a great metaphor for what’s happening in world
Great poem

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Julie. We are all different and it’s all about survival. Really appreciate you stopping by today. Have a good one.

[Julie McCarthy (juliespenhere)]

It’s my bedtime now
You have a great day !
X

[Chris Shaw]

Sleep well x

[Ken e Bujold]

think i might take to calling you Madam Yeats, or perhaps Miss Hardy. In all seriousness this is a gem of a rustic ode. Almost makes me nostalgic for open air country life. almost, i get nosebleeds if i'm away from the madcap bustle of honking horns and galloping grannies on scooters threatening to run me over for sheer pleasure of knowing they can.

[Chris Shaw]

You know I was born in the city of London but have been countrified for many years now. Galloping grannies on scooters made me smile. If I’d stayed in the city I might be one of them lol. Thanks for stopping by Ken and leaving such nice thoughts.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Roses bloom from the thorns of life; and it's in the bending, we learn and grow. I like the analogy and the message. Well done.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much Linda. Your visit and words much appreciated. Pleased you stopped by.