Personifying a River

Valerie Bloom's poem, "The River" is a wonderful little piece of work describing the many facets of a river.The river is to her many things.She describes the river in personification as a wanderer from its source to its mouth.The river is also a winder cutting through soft soils and going around hard rocks as its loops and wounds itself on the way down.

Like humans, the river is said to be protecting its own secrets underneath its hidden bed.

The poet tells us that the river is a highly  musical creature, gurgling like a baby sucking its thumb. The river's joyous music resonates to its surroundings in wanton rapture .  When  it is in happy spirit, a river sings and dances in sheer abandonment.

In spite of all these whimsical qualities that tend to signify joy and fun,a river has its dark side too. It can be a menace when it overflows its banks, bringing floods,tearing trees down and anything in its path including homes, and destroying human beings,crops and animals.

Let us appreciate this light-hearted poem.

The River


The river's a wanderer,
a nomad, a tramp,
he doesn't choose one place
to set up his camp

The river's a winder,
Through valley and hill
He twists and he turns
He just cannot be still.

The river's a hoarder,
And he buries down deep
Those little treasures
That he wants to keep.

The river's a baby,
He gurgles and hums,
And sounds like he's happily
sucking his thumbs.

The river's a singer,
and he dances along,
the countryside echoes
The notes of his song.

The river's a monster
Hungry and vexed,
He gobbled up trees,
And he'll swallow you next.

The poem has 6 stanza with 4 lines each where lines 2 and 4 in all stanza rhymes. Except for the last stanza, this is one happy poem to recite.

Enjoy the poem.