Boat Ride II

Boat Ride II Upon the crowded deck, boaters go their way Drifting silently among sunken glades Where sun kissed ripples on sparkling waters play. 'Tween quiet banks the elegant Heron wades, In meadows long grasses horses forage Where passing willows cast their shifting shades. Open farmland, factory cut, under bridge, Boats glide, driven by the river’s silent force Motorway, urban sprawl and forested ridge. Flowing steadily from its far flung source Boaters not knowing how the fragile river thrives, Unaware of the world within the river’s course Then at its mooring the pleasure boat arrives, The river passing on beyond their distant lives. Barry Stebbings Sept 2022