Monday Morning Musings:
“Go forth, and the whores cackle!
Where women are, are many words;
Let them go hopping with their hackle [finery]!
Where geese sit, are many turds.
—The Castle of Perseverance, 15th Century morality play
“The river sings and sings on.
There is a true yearning to respond to
The singing river and the wise rock.”
–Maya Angelou, “On the Pulse of Morning”
Full text here.
What is the song of the river?
though I listen,
noisy are the thoughts unbidden
that flow within my brain,
meandering tributaries, bearing gifts
some chaff, some worthy
But hush, listen.
What is the song of the river
as it gently laps against the rocks?
A song of history
from its birth in Ice Age glaciers
to its passage to the sea?
A song of fish, of shad,
of Lenni Lenape
then European settlers,
migration of fish, migration of people
cycles repeated through time.
What is the song of the river?
A song of birds in flight?
of cargo ships and Huck Finn rafts
Commerce and recreation,
the bustling colonial port,
capital of the early nation
still thrives,
though not as before
when cargo came by ship—
tea, rum, wine, tobacco, and people–
and passage to and from New Jersey was by ferry.
Now there are highways, bridges, and planes.
What is the song of the river?
A song of history
of battles fought
of soldiers dead
of memorials, reenactments, remembering
of fossils and relics.
Generations and regeneration,
children squealing with joy at butterflies
of gardens resurrected
of couples talking
of men and women jogging steps
of people seeking Pokemon,
yes, that here, too.
And what of the geese?
And what of their turds?
Yes, they’re underfoot,
chased by children and men in carts
And what of my words?
Do they cackle and crackle
like old whores?
Or do they stream like the river,
my song of musings?
I’m reminded of the history of women
who wrote,
long ago,
poetry, history, and letters,
Milcah Martha Moore, Hannah Griffits, Susanna Wright,
and others
who shared their work with other women
and some men, too.
It’s a song that carries to this day,
along both sides of this river, the Delaware.
What is the song of the river?
The sound of people celebrating
though we cannot see the water
from the festival site whose name pays tribute to it.
But we sit with friends
and we talk and we sample wine
Our words flow like the river
singing a song of friendship
and joy to be alive on a summer day.
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Further Information:
Red Bank Battlefield
Merril D. Smith, The World of the American Revolution: A Daily Life Encyclopedia
New Jersey Wine Events
Yesterday and today: Merril's historical musings 