The River Man

The River Man

On the banks of these rivers
Walks the River Man with his walking stick
In his high-top boots, camouflage cap and chew
Like a proud ancient urn
His is filled with a life time of memories
Going back to a young boy in his home-made canoe
Of his river-flat cabin home
Beneath towering palisade walls
Of steamboats, trappers and loggers
Its where palisade springs, streams, and waterfalls
Trickle over moss covered ladges
Where wildflowers, driftwood, leaves of color
Shimmer in watery reflections
It here where deer, otter and beaver swim
Where the kingfisher, vulture and redtail fly
Where the bobcat and wild turkey meet eye-to-eye
Where on high palisade cliffs the silver wings
Of a lone honeybee only the River Man sees
Its on the banks of these rivers
I have the privilege with him to sit
Fishing, sharing stories
And watching the old river as it flows

Roy L. Nave
A tribute to my friend, Earl Major..."The River Man"
Who has lived on or near the banks of the Dix and Ky Rivers
all his life in Garrard County