Second Poetry Prize Winner - Summer 2013
is
JOEL MURPHY
of York, Pennsylvania
“Creek Water Runs”
~by Joel Murphy
Creek water runs, it rushes and rolls
It thins over stones and swirls footbridge poles
It saturates
its banks and goes dark where it’s deep
Skimmer
bugs walk it, with magic, pin-feet
A branch blocks the flow, as best a branch can
With help from two boys and their boy-built dam
An oak leaf drops, flutters and spins
It floats down and down, to where sunlight dims
Leaf touches water just ahead of the falls
Seized by smooth whirls, circling, it stalls
Circling and bobbing, and circling
Circling and bobbing, and circling
Thrown stones, launched with gleeful force,
Cause a near miss, and chart its new course
The leaf drifts for a time, in vain, like a dream
But, creek water runs and steers it downstream
Channeled towards the falls now, the leaf surges on
With no moves, no resistance; its conclusion fore-gone
Over — pummeled, suffering bubbling swirls
It sinks
to others waiting, in a submerged, muddy world
Creek water runs, it rushes and rolls
It thins over stones and swirls footbridge poles
Overpowering their dam, it flows on, alone
As two boys, down the trail, throw it one last stone
By Joel Murphy
I am a professional writer in the fields of marketing and advertising, yet can't seem to shake
this urge to come home at night and write about things that interest me, in forms that appeal to my creativity. I am a husband,
the father of three, and passed the fifty year mark a few years back.
This poem came about as a result of blended moments. As I clicked on the link to learn more about
this contest, I was listening to an atmosphere-type CD with the sounds of a creek and birds woven into the music. My mind
flashed back to long summer days exploring in the woods with friends. Reading about submitting an poem became connected with
what I was recalling. "Creek water runs" was my first thought. Visit Joel Murphy's website at http://www.joelmurphywriting.com .
