River's Song: A Poem

Written as an homage to “The Thunder, Perfect Mind” but in the rhyming, indomitable voice of a modern urban river, this long narrative poem portrays the passion, plight, and ultimate triumph of nature.

Industrialism has poisoned and killed many lakes and rivers. Their stories are similar. Many have been polluted to the point of catching fire. But this is the unique voice of the Chicago River. Sometimes raging, sometimes sobbing, frequently serene, this Voice of the Great Goddess, speaking in her River aspect, flows slowly on, always different, always the same.

Calliope Braintree loves her River, and this “environmentally lyrical”…”important poetic piece” is her heart-wrenching tribute to it. Despite River’s own long history of abuse, she absorbed Calliope's pain and self-loathing, enabling her to recover and become her Real Self: a writer! The protagonist of “To Hear the Rest More Clearly” comes to life, stepping off the page to write this, which, in turn, became the basis for her tour de force of anger and forgiveness, “Killing Joe Sabazius.” For Calliope, Art imitates Life and Life imitates Art in equal measure. Compellingly multi-layered and self-reflexive, the series explores rape culture from both the personal and planetary perspective; and this poem is the point on which it all balances. A part of both novels, “River’s Song” stands very much on its own.