Ohio River
for my father
a life spent by the dirty river
building vessels barefoot and wild
where wildflowers bend verily
atop rivulets and driftwood
your father bent over the hull
smelling of cedar shavings and tar
your mother sewing shirts in the wind
you sit perched in denim on haunches
at the edge of your floating home
you are amidst brothers
all bickering for food
the eldest gone south
you with fish hook grin
another with his fists
the houseboat knocks softly at the ropes
supper smoking from a blackened pot
your mother’s voice crosses the water
your father tries not to smile
a life spent by the dirty river
building vessels barefoot and wild
and all night
the houseboat chewing the ropes
3 thoughts on "Ohio River"
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the diction is so evocative, as in “where wildflowers bend,” “with fish hook grin,” “the houseboat knocks softly,” and “the houseboat chewing the ropes”–especially the verbs
Beautiful! I’m so glad I happened on this poem. It’s got an incredible sense of place. I couldn’t find a cliche in the poem which seems hard to do with options with water, boats etc. Elegant!
I really enjoyed the sensory images, especially “smelling of cedar shavings and tar”