The River:
What makes one great, you might ask.
It is more than the person, more than the task.
It is the step by step along the way
That steady drive forward amidst the falls and the fray.
The ancient watchful eyes of water
Noted the birth of our nation’s father
Followed his beginnings at Pope’s Creek
On the family farm, and then did seek
More land on the Rappahannock’s shores
Following the winding rivers course
Where he finally arrived by fate
At the Potomac and his famed estate.
The river flows,
As his life unfolds,
The river watches,
The river knows.
George Washington:
I am from rivers, from fishing and swimming.
I am from forests, with trees over-brimming.
I am from wild turkeys and white tailed deer.
I am from the earth of Virginia that I hold dearly near.
I am from a family of English folk
Who ventured far from their British yoke.
I am from farmers and sailors and entrepreneurs,
Who bettered their lives on paths they did forge.
The River:
He loved to move, to run, to swim
In races and contests there were few who could best him.
Riding horses was truly his joy,
A master equestrian since he was a boy.
Nature taught him to listen, to learn,
To watch, to try, to observe and discern
He watched nature’s cycles, when to plant, how to grow,
Whatever was there he was hungry to know.
George Washington:
My mother taught me to rise with the sun,
To persevere until I was done.
I strove to be dutiful and harness my tongue,
To listen to others, from when I was young.
At sixteen I became a surveyor of land,
A skill greatly needed as America did expand.
It matched my love of outdoors with my talent for mathematics,
In peace and in war it was ever pragmatic.
The River:
He was enterprising and a model of vigor,
He welcomed hard work and moved with rigor.
He was taught to be industrious, to be conscious of thrift,
His thoughts and decisions were careful and swift.
He grew tall and straight, his posture erect,
His presence created an imposing effect.
As his skill with dance and sword he honed,
His grace was admired, lauded and known.
George Washington:
I wanted always to strive for the better,
I inhaled the wisdom of book and of letter.
I wrote word for word and number for number
To awaken my mind, to explore and discover.
The River:
This man who was neither scoundrel nor rebel
Was methodical, observing wide sky and small pebble.
Washington was a man who knew well his mind,
Striving always to stretch, to seek, and to find.
He observed the British lack of generosity,
They clung to their own needs with unswerving pomposity.
It was their flagrant grandiosity
That sparked this Virginian’s fervent ferocity.
George Washington:
The Intolerable Acts against Boston provided the last straw,
I knew an assault on one colony was an assault on us all.
That continued punitive barrage of taxation
Impelled our need for representation.
As time went on, I became increasingly militant,
My heart, mind and words became ever more vehement.
As the cry arose and the colonists raged,
I was completely committed and fully engaged.
For freedom, I knew, was right.
For liberty, I would stand and fight.
As a warrior, I saw from first to last,
The measure of Britain’s power was vast.
Still the colonists had great spirit to lead,
A heavenly cause, and the faith to succeed.
Although I knew when shots rang true
A terrible war must surely ensue.
I was deeply saddened to understand
That brothers would die by each other’s hand.
The River:
Sure of his values, it was his way to be true,
Fairness his belief and honor his hew,
That one must remain just, centered in trust
More so in the face of what was unjust.
As a keen and sharp observer,
He lacked others’ oratorical fervor,
But listened ever more deeply, with equanimity,
He strove to be a leading force for our unity.
He was gifted with the ability to command and inspire
He kept alive the hope of freedom’s fires.
Those around him sought his attention and praise,
He kept hope alive in both bright and stormy days.
Washington wrapped himself in a calm
That soothed people like a healing balm.
He held himself to standards to act as he commanded,
He maintained a fearless stance to model what he demanded.
George Washington:
I knew when to speak.
I knew when to listen.
Creating networks to benefit my position,
I learned to be an adept politician,
Maneuvering carefully to further my vision.
Although I felt a hesitancy,
I was convinced of the necessity
To accept the first position of presidency,
To establish our country with an auspicious urgency.
The River:
George Washington believed he was guided by Providence,
So proceeded both with and without confidence
To be the leader of this country’s provenance.
As he gained, so did America reach prominence.
George Washington heeded the call,
He used his skills, his values, to give America his all.
To us he brought his inspired simplicity
To create clarity, felicity, our unique authenticity.
George Washington was a wonder,
About his life, we continue to ponder.
Living in the freedom he did fan to flame
And the uniqueness we still proudly do claim.
The rivers still flow
Telling stories we need to know.
If we, like Washington, would continue to listen,
We would hearken to our latest mission:
To promise to keep all people free
And to follow the river, to be all we can be.