the banks of the river

the banks of the river were here

before you and I

before the courtship and the romance

before the anger and the jealousy

before it became mother of nations

or place of solitude

before anything needed the shade

of the old oak

before blood was spilt

and wars were won

before we lay in the grass

among the dandelions

and the banks of the river will be here

after us

with not so much as a footprint

in the mud