Shum shum shum
Trickle trickle trickle
River Dee sings its ancient song
like the sound of a distant crowd
clapping.
A symphony of applause, shum and trickle
traverses the Galloway Hills.
A carnival of otters, voles, salmon, eels, and
freshwater pearl mussels
dances among fallen rain,
tears from broken hearts,
sweat from garments washed in its waters,
little accidents from children
playing and splashing.
*
I was once such a child, then later,
a woman seduced.
I lay on my back in the river water, the
Black Water of Dee carried
my cares to the sea
where one day they rose to a cloud that
floated away.
I washed my hair under waterfalls;
watched them rinse my suds away,
infuse my hair with songs sung by pirates
my grandmothers knew.
*
Its waters cleanse, refresh, and
when I immerse myself in its liquid
wet embrace,
I feel dressed.
The river Dee knows me,
brings life. Like a gripping book
it carries stories and opens to
the unknown.
*
The Black Water of Dee is my moody beast in winter–
rushing, gushing, dangerous,
Neptune’s army unleashed;
in summer, benign–enticing, cool, leaving
parts of itself on my skin
where it catches the eye of the sun and
together, they
make me
glow.
About the Creator
Teresa Renton
Inhaling life, exhaling stories, poetry, prose, flash or fusions. An imperfect perfectionist who writes and recycles words. I write because I love how it feels to make ink patterns & form words, like pictures, on a page.
Reader insights
Nice work
Very well written. Keep up the good work!
Top insights
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Comments (3)
Great descriptiveness. Well done.
Excellent imagery!
I've always loved rivers, but the thought of washing my hair (back when I had hair, that is) under a waterfall is dream-like.