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Down by the River
by Ken HarnischIn dreams, I will no longer
Take you down by the river;
It is a memory I’d rather not
Share anymore, and a life
Which I’m relieved to say
I’ve left behind.
Ah, but you know that’s both
P.R. and P.C. talking. The rants
Of a man at a bar who’s had a few
And raises his voice hoping
Whoever hears him will believe.
In my quieter moments
When the drink has left my ears
I will soberly rue events
And no doubt sift through
Them with crabbed fingers
Trying to figure out just
Where it all went wrong.
And make no mistake:
The blame will fall on
My head like a chandelier
Because no self-help book
Ever written absolves
The heart of its nagging
Conviction that bad karma
Is a self-starting car.
But, who cares who’s to blame?
In the end, it won’t bring
You running and it won’t
Stop me from walking away.
The sad thing is, the river
Got used to seeing us
In the mornings when it was
Still and shining and
Looked just like hammered gold.
It is beauty we could appreciate
When we sang a duet. Solo,
It is just another river prone
To overrun its banks in May
And flood the downtown streets.
And make me wonder again
When I’ll get it in my head
To take the man up on his
Offer and buy some insurance.
08/26/2011 Posted on 08/26/2011
Copyright © 2025 Ken Harnisch
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Mo Couts on 08/26/11 at 03:09 PM This whole poem grabbed me up and wrapped me tightly and every word was a joy to read. My favorite stanza, though, was the first one, and it spoke to me the loudest. What a work here, Ken. |
| Posted by Linda Fuller on 08/26/11 at 03:39 PM I love the way you write about men and women. |
| Posted by Gabriel Ricard on 08/26/11 at 05:39 PM This digs in deep right at the beginning, and it never loses even a fraction of that energy. Awesome. |
| Posted by Kristine Briese on 08/27/11 at 04:48 AM Gorgeous poem, Ken. The river looking just like hammered gold is an incredible image; the words put the picture right into my head. And bad karma is a self-starting car! I love that line! |
| Posted by Meghan Helmich on 08/31/11 at 02:42 PM I agree with Kristine...the hammered gold image is perfect. I really enjoyed stanza 6 in particular. |
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