Why All Rivers Flow That Way

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 »