Down the river by the shore

By: Daniela Goncalves
I find solitude here
 
The squirrels saw a vista and rested on a bough
Hugged the acorn to her mouth
Eating heartily just now
 
Down the river by the shore
 
Hidden in the trees
A barred owl tucks away
Feathers blowing in the breeze
 
Down the river by the shore
 
A stream sways to the rhythm
 
Currents rushing by
In the springtime there is plenty
Water gushing, amplified
 
Down the river by the shore
 
There is life in tiny drops
Creatures stirring
Moving
Crawling
The abundance does not stop
 
Down the river by the shore
 
Down the river by the shore
 
Wonder
 
Have you looked under a leaf?
To find awe and disbelief 
Or watched a water bug kiss the surface
There she glides she knows her purpose
 
Down the river by the shore
 
Down the river by the shore
 
Down the river by the shore
 
This is life
 
Quiet, still
Often graceful
Serene, majestic
I am grateful
 
Down the river by the shore
 
A heron sees a fish
She dunks her head beneath the spring
Resurfacing with a swish 
 
This 
Is 
Home
 
Down the river by the shore
 
Underneath the curling waves
Swirling, sloshing
Fluid, changing
She is racing
 
Down the river by the shore
 
I rest my head against an oak
 
And in her shade I take a nap
Deep in the forest by the stream
Without a map
I leave to dream
 
Take in the sounds 
To reconnect
Hear the calls
Nature’s perfect
 
There’s wren and fish and deer close by
They say it’s healing
The woods alongside
 
This run of water 
So close to home
 
I see it as a way to breath
Leave the chaos and routine
Placed aside, all tucked away
Trade in a screen for something green
 
In this northeastern jungle 
I see escape 
A way to rest 
My troubled mind
Look there, you see?
A flock of birds
They are now traveling southwest
 
The imprints of my shoes remain
A souvenir that is contained
I swim 
And tuck my hands into the river
It it but a tiny sliver
 
To relive these memories
I’ll carry with me
Down the stream
 
The drops that ebb from cloud to rock
Through the air
And down the stalk
Of Ostrich Ferns
Are but the same
The very ones the river stocks
 
The water then collects and pools
To form a River by the shore
 
Droplets trickle down my hand
And leave an imprint in the sand
Down the river by the shore
I sit to watch the water pour
 
This ever changing landscape
Takes my breath away
When water morphs to snowflakes 
It makes me want to stay
 
I close my eyes and sense a shift
To know there’s silence in a sound
It happens when they skies expand
The beauty that’s abound
 
Flakes begin their descent
Lilting slowly all around
For a second they’re suspended 
Then there’s a blanket on the ground
 
I love how nature can blur these lines
With magic snowflake dusting
 
And for one glorious moment
We are all one
The hard edges that define us
Have not been brushed off by the sun
 
Down the river by the shore
 
I often dwell in silence
When the wind picks up my thoughts
But the sounds that often reverb
Simply drop
 
Down the river by the shore
 
Voles nestle in the leaves
Throughout fall they burrow here 
And find comfort in the trees
 
Down the river by the shore
 
In this wild and scenic place
Flowers, trees and plants with bees (beads)
In my backyard there is a trace
That guides me to this special space
 
Down the river by the shore
 
I feel fulfilled, 
Not needing more
There’s water, air and scents unseen
A web created in-between
 
Down the river by the shore
 
Picturesque, this landscape
It’s grand and lovely 
So alluring 
I’m finding words are not enough
To describe my feelings during
 
Connect me to this magic land
And save it for another day
May it be here a decade more
For all to cherish and embrace
The river, lake and streams with bays
 
Down the river by the shore
 
Down the river by the shore