Flood Twins

      Flood Twins

Twice this week the river Schuylkill rose
An flowed brown muddy where she chose :
Water charging, frenzied rapids dance,
Backwaters calm, sneaky their advance .
Rising ? Receding ? Gauged with a stone
Set water's edge, a time left alone .

Not identical were these flooding twins,
Apocalyptic ? Yes, shows humans' sins .

The First : 
Floating styrofoam, man's sallow garbage,
Pock marked the river's surface, carnage,
As pusses acne on a fair, young, soft face .
The Schuykill, a life sustainer, in disgrace .

The Second :
Water cleansed of visual degradation
Recalls an era before coal fed the nation,
When early Americans native to this turf
Worshiped at council their deity, Mother Earth .
She, who connects hard rocks with trees,
Listens to song birds, admires honey bees,
Blesses tall mountains, stars, the pure water,
Connects one to all, especially father to daughter.

   Ronald C . Downie  

(1993, late November early December,floods)