by Marilyn R. Wilson
Their bodies lay scattered across the river bank.
Thrown there recklessly without care.
Far from where they were born and raised.
Sad reminders of who they once were.
Some of them had succumbed to disease
Or fallen after nature's unforgiving touch.
Remnants of skin, and oh so broken limbs.
Jagged and sorrowful shapes to gaze upon.
Others were cut down in their prime.
Weapons of man creating havoc through
Devastating raids on their communities.
Leaving scorched earth and no one to mourn.
But death wasn't enough for the invaders.
They denuded and defiled them.
Shaped them roughly in comfortable forms
Easy to transport and make use of.
Somehow a few were able to escape,
Although not with their lives.
Along with the others who had perished
Carried away by the river into the unknown.
Those without buoyancy quickly sank to the bottom.
Those able to float were guided by the river's touch.
And if near the ocean, drawn by its tide.
Until abruptly one day reach their journey’s end.
The river and the weather collaborate to.
Fling them helplessly without thought
Without any dignity or prior planning
Haphazardly onto the river’s sandy bank.
Reduced by the hot sun, punishing storms,
Hungry insects and the demands of humanity,
Their bodies slowly but steadily return to the earth
To rest until their elements again rise reborn.
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