Kingdom Of Mud

Perched on the banks of the Mississippi 

Flat bottom boats on mirrored red sunset water

Tobacco on the wind 

hanging 

Will-O'-the Wisps playing games 

Named foolish fire 

Alone here I grow roots

A skeleton belonging to this earth

A seedling 

On the banks of this old man

But today 

I am the snow

The Volcano 

The vastness of yesterday

A pinpoint of tomorrow 

Perched on the banks of the Mississippi 

My childhood kingdom

Reviews

[andrew mitchell]

I had images of a flood when you wrote mud, Lovely write Neal. The imagery is real and surreal of child hood memories i'm left to ponder on my own.

[Neal S]

Great review! Thanks so much!

[Lorry]

Love when someone can capture themselves, or the written about person, and a place so well, that it gives the reader a truer reflection of what those places are and mean to the people who belong there, rather than the saccharine, sickly sweet guide book versions, which in my case never paint a picture I have ever seen.
Nicely captured Sir. I want to go there now to see for myself. :)

[Neal S]

Thank you Sir. Come on down we'll eat some catfish! lol

[Lorry]

Well, I guess I do need educating, have never ate catfish before. :)

[FIN]

Nicely expressed, Neal.

This whole stanza was well composed:

"Alone here I grow roots
A skeleton belonging to this earth
A seedling
On the banks of this old man"

The juxtaposition of being "a seedling" "on the banks of this old man" made this a beautiful sentiment to such a place.

And the next stanza expounding upon your presence outwards from youth into adulthood (as I perceived it) with such beautiful imagery and metaphors.

You captured something beautiful here.

Nice write.

[Neal S]

Thank you so much! What a lovely review.

[Valentine]

I love that river. We used to cross it every trip heading north to Michigan. Do you remember the year it was so low they were talking of a canal from Lake Michigan to fill it? Valentine

[Neal S]

No. When was this? I know at some points the river had been so low that people were worried about their fields.

[Einstein Noodle]

this read Mark Twains and Norman Rockwells me .. had to read it again to absorb more of this well done Americana poem ..nice nice nice ..enjoyed those muddy banks down to and squishing between my toes
E.
ps i am kind of jealous of your speaker for not having grown up in the South ;)

[Neal S]

Thank you so much for your kind words. The south has its perks just like any other place I imagine. Except when you're out in the cotton field melting in the summer heat lol...Where are you from?

[Einstein Noodle]

South Dakota .. recently retired and moved to the beautiful Ozark Mountains of Arkansas :)

[Neal S]

Oh wow! That sounds amazing.

[Einstein Noodle]

i am soon to be 68 and i wouldn't change a thing about any of my choices ..tho some raked me over hot coals ..i managed to learn from it :} love and peace my friend.