The voice of Lou Henry

 **The voice of Lou Henry**

(A lone voice whispers)

As I stood one sad afternoon

By The Mighty Digotee

The deepest of all rivers of fast-flowing dreams

Standing alone in here

In The Great In-Between

An image of a golden-haired girl

Drifted by and disappeared so fast

 

Reflected in the black waters 

Ever-twirling serene reflective screens

Giving me a reminder of the sweetest image I've ever seen

So beautiful 

Cosmopolitan 

And who I knew would speak like a princess or queen

Even the great Cleopatra would have been so jealous 

Her sparkling blue eyes 

Would have turned emerald green

Then up came another

Floating quickly to the dark surface as the deep currents 

Paid lip service

 

Showing her grown-up adult face

An incredible picture of her 

Dressed from head to toe 

In sophisticated white lace

Fighting life with a wry smile as it tried to take her with its sharp knife

As her pulse still raced

But like all things flowing in that fast-flowing river of deep dreams

The one we call the Mighty Digotee

Anybody standing by the Weeping Willow Tree

Will see sights of what could have been

If only they took a chance and conquered all their vulnerabilities 

As I walked away due South to the second river

And watched the fast-flowing surface of the next one called The Fugentee

The river flowing with things that have eluded many

I suddenly remembered what that beautiful soul used to call me

But that's a story for a different day 

As I watched that gentle river flow beside me

Filled with wondrous sights of what I could have been

I'm Lou Henry by the way 

Filled will all things you could lose or cause you to feel empty

I always think

Is that why I keep seeing images of my beautiful first love

Called Jenny

The one who got sent by God and I left holding my brown suitcase 

When I was foolish and just entering my twenties

Copyright John Duffy