Rivers Ran Crystalline Races

A poem about dying rivers of Baja Cali...this picture is actually of dry riverbeds that look like lifeless trees.

Dead river-children of mother Colorado,

sourced from Rocky Mountains on high, ages ago.

Baja Cali, wh'ence lands bloomed from downstream channels,

heavenly mirage, nature would never dismantle.

 

Then irrigating the Baja’s now arid oasis,

where grew worthy crops, rivers ran crystalline races.

It was those sopping filled limbs of the rivers,

sang birds, grew wildlife, those waters delivered.

 

Lands drew from the channels with delirious joy,

sating selves on the tributaries' rolling deploys.

And they took in turn from bountiful lands, its stock,

constructing strong riverbeds, dirt, pebbles and rock.

 

But ‘twas wrong to believe child-rivers wouldn’t die,

Colorado behemoth, thankless humans relied.

Upstream, men dammed it, routing to their cities,

Baja "damned below," for humans' duplicities.

 

Then came the sun’s relentless and dry-splitting heat,

which remaining rivers consumed, choiceless, in defeat.

Unfriended by the rain, craving drops nowhere found,

screamed unheard puddles, “pelt forth storms to the ground!”

 

Still the Colorado looked away, unbothered,

abandoning birthed rivers, evolution mothered.

In desperation, the rivers' dry withered arms,

sucked clean, final wetness from the land it now harmed.

 

Though the banks were now dry-cracked, from sun’s burning rays,

there was little to take back in those blazing days.

Then in their last throes, choking dry, in their demise,

Baja's waterless-limbs now hardened stone, tearless cried.

 

Seen from above, rivers' bones lay like leafless trees,

with dead limbs immovable, denied their final pleas.

And perished the plants, the beautiful birds, a sin,

now dimmed river goddesses, with no ends to begin.

 

While man, sun and rain turned away, others to kill,

creating more land scars, murderous in their ill will.

Lies lonely Baja's basin, these dry-forged, treed-strands,

wait the rivers for mother-refilled, now brands on the lands.

Reviews

[Emerald Seas]

Great poem, Barbara. It is a shame to realize, when we look back on history what man has done to damage the earth. My undergrad is in environmental management... such a distructive force we have been and continue to be on our environment/planet.
Great writing, love the imagery that you so gracefully display for us. If you haven't yet, read 1491 and 1493... talks of the Native American relationship in the US with the land before settlement and then throughout settlement - how the land, natives, settlers and so forth changed and the mark it has had on the US landscape.

[Ray]

This is a lovely poem ! The style, the words, everything was well done ! Keep writing like this and if you want me to review/comment anything, feel free to ask me !

[ROSALIND]

Just awesome amazing ..................

[Sheila Kline]

Wonderful imagery, thought provoking, excellent informative process in poetic form of that which is so tragically happening to this beautiful part of our Earth!
Thank you for bringing this to our attention in such a touching, gut-wrenching way!
Very nicely written!

[Legion]

this is fabulous. A desperate lament for that which is lost by our own design. Apocalyptic. One of your finest. You are definitely improving. Bravo!

[R.A. Youngblood]

I really like this, your imagery is outstanding!
Thanks for sharing..Keep it up! :D

[Poetic Beauty]

This is very descriptive and I can picture the words forming into scenes in my mind.