Striking it Rich

by jr paruolo
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The writer works in a lonely way. - Irwin Shaw
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one man alone
swinging the pick

chipping away
deep in the pit

splitting the stone
bit by bit

ready to quit
then striking it rich

revealing the poem
held in its grip

River Reincarnation

by jr paruolo
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You cannot step into the same river twice. Heraclitus
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You retain your youthful will -
but you are older
and your waters flow slower,
become almost still,
as you near the end of your journey
and prepare to join the sea -

You leave behind
a serpentine shape,
your physical identity -
a time line
carved permanently into the landscape
like a name into the bark of a tree

and through water's reincarnation
you will regenerate -
but whatever form you take
snowflake
or rain -
you will not make the same journey again