Analysis of Why All Rivers Flow That Way
Karl Constantine FOLKES 1935 (Portland)
A river thrives with its tributary,
To pursue and course its destiny.
Unwaveringly obedient to its cause;
Earnestly it flows by nature’s laws.
All rivers bend, mustered with flush,
O’er rocky pathways, they will gush.
Flowing sometimes straight, with a rush;
And at other times, with a gentle hush.
Obedient always to a purposeful quest,
Ever moving onward, without rest.
Why do all rivers flow that way?
That is the call of nature’s play.
From hills or mountains rivers descend,
Winding their way, steadily they wend.
Ever flowing towards the sea;
All rivers seeking to be free.
Cycling o’er the land as a living force,
Of potential hydro-electrical source.
For power drainage, and for food;
For building homes from forest wood.
Providing many recreational needs,
Rivers deliver us their good deeds.
Highland birds, insects and fish;
They, too, follow a river’s rushing swish.
Mammals of various types often roam by,
With a host of birds to sweep the sky.
Rivers meandering, make their bend;
Hikers exploring, curious to find their end.
Some rivers flow with tidal mouth,
Some having basins awfully stout.
Some with tributaries that form lakes;
Some as waterfalls with rushing quakes.
Some as marshes, or a flood plain,
Some offering shelter; for animal grain.
Some with delta, a city planner’s delight;
For nation building, where populations alight.
A river is a tributary for human life,
Nature’s offering to diminish strife.
A wellspring for the human soul;
To flourish and to make things whole.
A river thrives with its tributary,
To pursue and course its destiny.
Unwaveringly obedient to its cause;
Earnestly it flows by nature’s laws.
Scheme | AABC dddd eeff ggaa hhxx iijj kkgg xxll mmnn oopp AABC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (64%) |
Metre | 010111100 101011100 10100111 100111101 11011011 1101111 10011101 0110110101 01001101001 101010011 11110111 11011101 111101001 101110011 10100101 11010111 10010110101 1010101001 11010011 11011101 0101001001 100101111 101101 1110010101 10110011011 101111101 100100111 100101001111 11011101 11010101 11100111 11101101 11101011 11001011001 11100101001 11010101001 010101001101 1010010101 0110101 11001111 010111100 101011100 10100111 100111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,670 |
Words | 322 |
Sentences | 23 |
Stanzas | 11 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 44 |
Letters per line (avg) | 30 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 119 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 25 |
About this poem
There is a symbiotic codependent relationship between rivers and civilizations. The Indus, Ganges, and the Nile, the Euphrates and the Tigris, are some of the major rivers of the world that enabled and facilitated the development, growth, and flourishing of early civilizations. In the biblical tale of Noah and the flood, we surmise and recognize, along with the support and confidence of scientific information, that when rivers recede after flooding, they invariably leave fertile silt behind, profitable for farming, crop growth, and agricultural development. As this poem points out, rivers are a great source of water for civilizations and for the provision of reliable transport systems (e.g., rafting, shipping, various means of navigation and the conveying of goods and merchandise). Indeed, all early civilizations found it necessary and of expedience to settle near rivers or bodies of water; and from these locations to establish larger societies, leading up to nation-building and to the complexities of increasing technological developments. In today’s world of the twenty first century, it is instructive to note that, when compared to other clean energy sources such as wind and solar, hydropower, the power obtained from flowing water, has achieved and maintained high levels of technological maturity and sophistication. Rivers, indeed, as aqua vitae, are a wellspring for the human soul, enabling it to flourish and to make things whole. Rivers and civilizations enjoy a profound symbiotic relationship of codependency. This poem is written as a rhymed quatrain with eleven stanzas, the first and last composed in the form of a poetic Inclusio. more »
Written on November 12, 2022
Submitted by karlcfolkes on November 12, 2022
Modified by karlcfolkes on November 12, 2022
- 1:36 min read
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"Why All Rivers Flow That Way" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/144368/why-all-rivers-flow-that-way>.
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