There’s a River by the Edge of Town
by Victor Riehl

I found you
In the secret eddies of my mind,
You, like no other,
Coursing gently, softly, into my life
Like a river by the edge of town.

I found you
On every water’s shore,
Glistening on a sunny sea,
Lapping softly on the crystal lake
Of my small-town childhood joys
And sorrows.

I found you
In torrents racing clear and icy cold
From craggy reaches
And unfathomable depths,
In silken reflections
On warm summer ponds
Surrounded by the green hills and fertile fields
I walked as a boy.

Finally, I found you
In the fractured raindrops
On my tear-stained face,
Marooned in the arid desert
of lost love and shattered hope.

You were always there,
And are here now,
Sweet embrace,
Flowing through my past
Into my future
Like a river by the edge of town.
 

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