The Dam Builder

Hope & Possibility
Written by Michael Heavener

The dam builder studies
his environment carefully.
Plans what must be done.
Chooses his materials.

Should he use the smooth
or rough edged rocks?
Fine sand, or coarser gravel?
Crucial engineering thoughts.

Walks along the river.
Looks for just that one spot
where valley meets ridge,
and a rising pool will fill.

Back and forth he carries
another bucket of sand
to match the dam
pictured clearly in his mind.

A lake stretches upstream—
until gravity takes effect.
The dam tumbles down.
Washes dreams out to sea.

He stoops; touches the ruins.
Contemplates rebuilding.
Then shrugs instead
and runs off chasing seagulls.

Michael Heavener

Michael Heavener writes anecdotal and gently humorous poetry and stories as a way of staying grounded in his roots in Washington State, and in his long-standing love of history, trains, and adventure. He has been published in "Purr and Yowl: An Anthology of Poetry About Cats," Raven Chronicles’ "Humor, Humor, Humor," Crosswalk’s "Praise Reports," and the RASP anthology "Here, There, and Everywhere." His poems have also been exhibited as framed art in the "We Are Here" gallery show. Looking ahead, Michael plans a poetry chapbook exploring imagined “it might have been” backstories for biblical figures who appear only briefly in scripture before vanishing from the record. He is currently writing a historical fiction novel set in the late eighteenth century, following a centaur who rises to command her own merchant ship.

https://www.heavenr.com/poems/
Previous

Writer’s Blocks
Next

Letters