Living On The River (not in a van)

Afriend of mine has been living along the Copper River for the last month. Between having to kill a bear and later saving a moose's calf, it has been quite an experience for him. He sent this to me and I kinda liked it, so I thought I would share.


To Live On A River

I lived on a bank above a river famous for it’s salmon,
The abundant birds, seals, moose, and bear.
Or the stinging nettles said to relieve arithitic pain,
And the devils club that could terrorize and , turn a tear as fast as death
But yet the rivers animals could move so beautifully through it,
And I cant forget the mosquitos or the flies, that would land on my skin,
Lapping up the blood, waiting one minute at a time to survive off of me.

It’s silty bottom that could be rich in gold, or
It’s ever furious weather pattern that could weaken the strongest
A river that has driven a man far and wide to come and live.
The amazing mountains in the animals kingdom and the glaciers so large
To think it was once a giant ice cube,
Waiting, melting to flow,
Letting loose like a cannon

A waterway that has branched in a thousand or more directions,
Waiting to push the sand a different way,
Allowing the water levels to change like a tick on a clock
A river that animals could observe their own lives in peace,
Living only by instinct and surviving in their own niche,
Seeming to be as peaceful
As the river itself on a sunny day

To live on a river where the history is barely known
Is quite humbling and could send shivers down your spine.
To have to live here with it’s raging water and the furious wind of the north,
Wind that has defined the word sandblast
Where trees have been forced in one direction,
Brainwashed and blasted by the inferior.
It’s Bone chilling waters and inconsistent mood could send anyone down,
As fast as they were born.

A river whose underworld is as vast and unknown as the center of the earth,
Where creatures we have never seen live their daily lives.
A waterway that one day could be part of the ocean,
At the mercy of the everchanging weather.
A place where the salmon are so abundant, it is able to support thousands of lives.
This river has no feeling, no memories of whats around it,
Just a steady flow of natures continuum.


Yet, hear far away from surroundings, I have feelings.
I have seen it’s abundant salmon, moose, and bear
Laying in my tent at night only to stay warm and endure the harsh fury of it’s wind.
A river which has changed a man’s life, letting him know that,
This river has treated me just fine,
Allowing my existence one more day.

I did live on this river, warm and happy,
To cold and miserable like the flick of a light switch.
A place that sends chills and joy down my spine,
As quickly as I just wrote that line.
Humbleness being my purest of goals in life,
And one of the greatest values in life, is not easy to learn
On the almighty Copper River.
To live on a river, yes,
That is what I did.