The River

The River

I wake to find myself in some kind of watercraft
This seems familiar
I have been here before, yes I know I have
The reasons have still not been revealed

Once more the river beckons, teases me
Only revealing up to the next bend
No further, no suggestion of what is to come
Future promises shrouded in the shore-hugging trees

Heavy green, back, brown, growth
Thick flora, humid, dense air
Providing a cloak, hiding the onlookers,
Not giving anything to my focused gaze

Mist rolls over the mirrored water
Occasional sounds, as bits of the shore are discarded
Sending waves of curiosity my way
Making subtle and sly inquiries

The river gurgles and laps against my craft
Who built this vessel? Is it strong?
Where will it take me?
Do I have control? . . . Should I trust it?

Floating upstream, away from the primal ocean
A passenger, observing for the while
What really delivers me to the next stopping place?
The river, my ship, myself, or some part of each.

Slowly, round the bend
The next trial reveals itself
Now, Pigs, rollicking at the waters edge
Rooting, snorting, slobbering, squealing.

Another tribulation,
Crowds of people line the shore
Staring out, unblinking, unmoving,
Ignoring my desperate inquiries

Now the ship slows, as it enters an eddy
The shores have become unending, barren, wastelands
Few plants managed to take hold here, and those that did
Have lost their battle to whatever rules here

My vessel turns slowly on its axis, showing me the carnage all around
Faint, how far away I do not know, stands a monolith
Its true dimensions hidden by a haze of space and colour
Its paleness causing it to blend with the vision
A sentinel beckoning, or a lighthouse warning

I watched as, off in the distance, two crows worried a hawk
Climbing and diving, continually attacking, alternating their efforts
Black specs, flashes of white, drowning in the blue expanse
The hawks resolve lessened with each foray from the crows
I continued to watch as they played out their disabling dance
Eventually the distance ended my observation of these combatants
And my intrusion into their world no longer mattered

How long I stayed in that place I could not tell
I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I remember
I was moving slowly, calmly, almost imperceptibly
But I was continuing my journey

A flock of sparrows now flew escort for me
Dashing back and forth, from the shore line to my craft
Making dramatic angled turns for me to see
As they continued to tempt my raft 

Hills, and more hills, grass covered but nothing else
And millions of people
All in lines, unmoving, but neatly ordered
Waiting for something
Featureless faces, no eyes, no noses, no mouths, no ears 
All turned towards the Monolith

As I neared the object, I could see more
A single bare tree stood in front of the sentinel
And hanging from a thick branch, was a man
Swinging back and forth on a noose, rocked by some demon wind
A breeze that would do nothing to power my ship faster past this place
Were the sparrows a foreshadowing of this or something else.

Four others now approached
All on horseback, slowly, a steady funeral march pace
The lead rider stopped to pick up a spear
Again all four moved, to surround the tree

The spear man thrust his lance at the unfortunate
Causing him to rock even more dramatically
Pulling back on the intrusive weapon
It gripped a little before it let go
What had he done to deserve such treatment?

Oh horror, upon horror, must I witness this?
How long must my ship remain still?
What cruel force has delivered me to this place?
And why must I watch such brutal skills?

As if to answer my query, the river stirred to draw me onwards
   
Sometimes the monsters bent my arms back
Exposing me to everything
a Dragon spits and foams as it spews forth its acrid venom
a band of monkeys becomes my escort down the banks for the next while

Heavy smothering walls line each side now
Bricks and mortar, stone, and sand
Some fresh laid and other as ancient as the start of my journey
Stretching onward without any sign of yielding

Keeps me from seeing the other side
But keeps me form being seen
Unimportant, innocuous, anonymous, uneventful
No contact, no knowledge, no growth

The walls converge at some point up ahead
Darkening all that they can engulf
Dark, cold, entombed, and isolated
Everything that has gone this way

Who else can I find down this path
I fear that there is no one there

Markings, odd misshapen and discoloured          
They resemble doors, portals
Perhaps a way out, or just a cruel trick
A chance or an trick, how am I to know?

A fork, a monkey points its bony finger
Its face painted like a clown
Its grin slashed across its face
Baring teeth sharpened for biting down

Light streams through above and below
Voices muffled and droning on
A bell rings out, from outside in a hall
Calling me homeward before the dawn

Hands clutching at the side of the boat
Climbing their way up and in
Talon-like appendages
Black leathery wrinkled skins
Rocking the ship for what seemed ages