The Riverside Man

by Augustus Lee S., High School

The Riverside Man

Once t’was a land past fields of crooked brook
Where miraculous things could be found in every corner or nook
From bubbling creeks to mighty shivering rivers
Or dense great oak to meek stick slivers
There was a man whose eyes were weak
But still saw potential in this land of mystique.
Look! See! Watch! The Riverside Man
He came from afar, long ago
Strapped to his belt, metal tools clinging, clacking, clicking
Against one another, swinging to and fro
He braved the woods alone
Crunching crisp pine cones with every step
Hearing a muse that formed a vision of our land ahead
Listen! Hear! Detect! The Riverside Man
He noticed the natives where plagued by wicked beasts,
Who lurked from the forests to the east,
So he built winding paths to confuse the fiends,
A natural labyrinth that blistered their feet,
He took slabs of concrete, in an attempt of deceit
Sculpted a form so hideous, the monsters would weep,
The Predators had no idea that prey had taken them for fools
Perched them high above our schools, to protect our young
Yes, the gargoyles were important tools.
Recall! Remember! Reminisce! The Riverside Man.

After all the problems were done, and the dangers were gone
The Riverside Man took to grassy lawn and looked to the sun,
Started to stack a tower up,
Up, up and beyond
His throat began to be thirsty, because he was hotter than air from fiery hell,
so he looked to the ground, and dug a well all the way down,
Down, down, and deep till water spilt
And once he was finished, stone standing tall, water flowing through halls
He ruled over us all, because his very middle name was the Law,
Locked away at the top from winter to fall,
Would only venture outside, when leadership would call,
Soon he stopped going at all.
Mourn! Praise! Rejoice! The Riverside Man!
Some say he flew away as soon as his hair turned grey,
Others claim you can see his face there to this day,
But whatever way he may have departed,
Just remember who built this place and what he had before he started.
THE RIVERSIDE MAN.