THE RIVER OF TIME (a poem written in 1969)

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL, AND TO ALL HAPPY NEW YEAR!


When you reach my stage in life, you have no idea how many more years God has allotted to you, so each day is precious. Over the years, I have received countless comments about my missives, many of them much more profound than mine. I thank you all for them. Some have been critical, even angry, many more not, but all have been appreciated.

My wonder, always, is why when someone finds reason to criticize, and then later apologize, as there is no need. I am always delighted to receive comments, and am moved by the eloquence and passion of them.

By the accident of our birth, we are on this same "River of Life" at the same time, all moving in the same inevitable direction, all equally important in the eyes of God, and no one more or less significant than the other.

* * * * *

Forty years ago (1969), back from South Africa, I wrote a novel (never published) called "The Triple Fool" (after John Donne's poem of the same name). In that novel, I wrote a poem inspired by an Ovid (43 BC - 17 AD) quote from “Metamorphoses” (6 AD). In Latin, the quote reads: "Tempus edax rerum," or "Time, the devourer of all things."

To put my poem in context, I was returning from that African country, young and successful, but disillusioned with what I had experienced with its apartheid policy of separated development of the races. Coming from Iowa, a state with very few African Americans, I had never experienced real dominance of whites over blacks. In fact, there were so few blacks in my hometown of Clinton, Iowa that I barely knew the race existed. In South Africa, the Bantu or blacks were some 14 million citizens of negligible rights dominated and subjugated by 4 million whites of Dutch and British origin. Always somewhat of a serious person, it is evident in this poem that I come by it naturally.

Incidentally, I was very much into the stream of conscience writing of James Joyce at the time, as was the novel. Moreover, the main character, Harry, often had a conversation with his books in Latin in his study. My wonder, do anyone else’s books speak to them?
JRF

* * * * *

TIME IS A RIVER

James R. Fisher, Jr.
© January 1969

Ever moving ever changing ever enchanting ever vexing

Forging through space
Climbing to mountains and sky
Cascading unto parch earth and green valleys
Growing muddy and putrefying

Ever decaying ever stinking ever polluting ever stagnating

Becoming clear lucid pure sparkling happy invigorating refreshing

Gravitating from frigidity coldness coolness to comfort warmth hotness incontinent heat

Exploding particulate matter into flotsam and jetsam

Exposing arrogance aloofness stupidity affection flippancy irrationality

Bringing peace satisfaction power convenience temporality

Surrendering solace fulfillment tranquility transcendence essence

Experimenting with fear hate envy lust greed deceit pleasure courage happiness music

Searching for valor love hope beauty charity faith kindness caring

Creating chaos by raging abandoning destroying disfiguring lying distorting scarring killing

Inundating indiscriminately presumptively

Ever singing ever praising ever soothing ever titillating ever mesmerizing ever enticing ever fantasizing ever duping ever using ever toying

Offering to play pray sport escape entertain travel dream nourish know see think feel

Making love laughter music war hate peace tomorrow

Causing growth atrophy health debility inspiration apathy discovery disillusionment

Establishing order by producing reproducing transforming transplanting transmutating transmigrating transmitting transmogrifying

Ever balancing every imbalancing ever taking ever giving

Emulsifying demulsifying foaming defoaming coagulating dispersing scaling softening corroding electroplating sequestering precipitating hurting helping killing saving losing winning hating loving bombing building destroying remaking upsetting stabilizing confusing elucidating excoriating nurturing acidizing neutralizing beginning ending coloring discoloring oxidizing reducing liquefying solidifying catabolizing fermenting

Influent to
Effluent from

Nunc fluens of time
Tota simul of eternity

Being born existing living dying
Being buried

Eon after eon after eon

Without a rhyme to or reason for
Without a known fons et origo or a fathomable terminus

With only a promised PROMISE promised

Transporting this fragile tissue hope mankind by a swift noiseless pulling mysterious gentle ceaseless subtle mighty treacherous conflicting fascinating sweeping force

With an IRRESISTBE CURRENT

Carrying all to a SEA OF LIGHT or a SEA OF DOUBT.

JRF