THE RIVER

On a quietly dark, and starry filled night
He carried forth, searching for her presence
For she was the princess of the land
And he, the knight who loved her
She had tried to get away
Abandoning her family throne
She was unhappy, and he had to find her
He covered hours of wild terrain
Tracking the most unlikely paths
Which were pleasantly be scented
By her sweet perfume
When he thought he might be getting near
Hilly mudslides slowed him down
Thickened jungles wrestled him
But he was destined to find her
After all, she meant everything to him
She was his inner soul
The one who lifted his spirits
She would never let him down
For he had to find her
He had to know that she was fine
His horse became thirsty
As they stopped along a river
Taking refreshment for himself
He looked up from his hands
And there she was
Standing there beside her horse
Along the other side of the river
She glowed so bright in her velvet white
With a smile that would kill a thousand men
Her eyes they sparkled bright like gemstones
For she was surely the treasure of the Earth
The knight wanted to hold her at this moment
He swore he had never seen such a rare beauty
Such a grace of elegance standing right before him
She called to him with open arms
Calling him to cross the river
For if he did this, she would be his
And wanting nothing more
He had to accept her offer
The knight shed his armor
And dove in the river
And started his way toward her
The river was mighty
Its torrents were strong
And soon he became weary
But all he could think of was reaching her
As he crossed halfway
His muscles would ache
As he grew tiresome
Fighting the rapids so wild
He gave one last breath
And pushed toward her
But he slipped on a rock
Planted deep in the riverbed
He reached out his hand in desperate measure
Feeling the current start to pull him away
His head submerged
He accepted his fate
And knew he had tried
When in one last moment
He felt her hand
As she pulled him from within
The shadowy waters of death
She embraced his will
And held him tight
Never wanting to let go
The knight was exhausted
As she saw it in his eyes
And then she spoke
For anyone to try so hard
Just to be with me
Is something I cannot forget
Who would I be, if I should let you die
Without the least bit of effort to save you
They walked away from the river
As they both found happiness
And started a new life
In the kingdom that awaited their return

T. Collins...03-03-99