Above:  The Original Draft

Image Source = Kenneth Randolph Taylor

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This afternoon I did notice

close to home, in Ben Burton Park,

Easter Island-style statues

small.  Four of them did space mark

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on the cusps of waterfalls

tiny in the midst of a stream.

Somebody had stacked rocks small

in a fit of joy, it seems,

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conveying his or her mirth

to other park visitors

who came to enjoy the earth,

perhaps even to compose verse.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

FEBRUARY 23, 2014 COMMON ERA

Above:  The Beginning of My Draft

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On a late October day,

in Athens-Clarke County,

Georgia, turtles did, I say,

sun themselves quite nicely

—–

on rocks in the Middle Oconee River.

Some of them, upon noticing the presence

of interested human observers

on the land, dove into the river, hence

—-

leaving empty, large rocks behind.

Others, however, remained where they were

and continued to absorb heat so kind

on a cool day with a brrr.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

OCTOBER 25, 2013 COMMON ERA

Above:  View Looking Down the Tailrace from the West Side of the Powerhouse–Tallassee Shoals Hydroelectric Facility, Middle Oconee River, Athens, Clarke County, Georgia

Photograph Created by the Historic American Engineering Record

Image Source = Library of Congress

(http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ga0489.photos.056253p/resource/)

Reproduction Number = HAER GA,30-ATH.V,1–1

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That plant, according to the plaque in Ben Burton Park (the current use for the site) closed in 1964, having been in operation since 1896.–KRT

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In the Middle Oconee River,

closer to its normal state,

with many of its large rocks above water

(at least partially),

a small group of turtles sunned themselves

on two rocks as water cascaded

near them, flowing gloriously

in its river bed through Athens-Clarke County

then into the Oconee River proper,

through the County of Greene

and toward its ultimate fate,

the Atlantic Ocean.

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But, here and now, it is fun

to watch the water flow quickly

as turtles rest above it then reenter it unaided,

going where they will during their turtle lives,

perhaps oblivious to we humans observing them

from the bank, just glad to see them at a distance

as we enjoy nature quietly,

seeking  nothing in return,

but revering, each in our turn,

that which is free,

yet beyond price.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JUNE 24, 2013 COMMON ERA

On a rock in the Middle Oconee River

on a warm evening,

on a day when one does not shiver,

a lone turtle stood.

—–

There it remained,

for how long I do not know,

until it returned to the water,

its head below

the surface.

—–

Why did the turtle move?

Did it see us watching it from the land?

Or did it have another reason?

I want to understand.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MAY 30, 2013 COMMON ERA

Small green leaves

rest upon bedrock

as a creek flows gently and barely

over it en route to

the river quite near by,

just a few yards away,

where the journey does cease.

—–

The creek water is clear,

unlike the brown river

swollen by rains

which, without any pains,

have turned it from a relative sliver

with many exposed rocks,

often with turtles sunning on them,

into this roaring brown torrent

falling over and obscuring the bedrock.

—–

Yet now I notice joyfully

a plethora of trees doing what I suppose

they have done more often than not:

Drinking deeply of the river

as it feeds their roots which have grown

low to the water.

These trees imbibe the water of life.

And I, staring at them,

do, for a time,

forget that anywhere there is strife.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MAY 23, 2013 COMMON ERA

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https://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/swollen-river/

https://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/swollen-river-ii/

https://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/swollen-river-iii-one-week-later/

https://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2013/05/22/swollen-river-iv/

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The Middle Oconee River,

fed by recent rains,

thunders and gurgles simultaneously,

rolling over rocks,

foaming whitely

while appearing brown

as it flows through Athens,

through the west end of town.

—–

As I study the river

on a late Spring evening

which feels like one in the Summer,

the darkness encroaching

in the dying light of the day,

I look for rocks

(yet discover that they are mostly underwater)

and for turtles, but see none

in the fading light of the May sun.

I furrow my brow

and I wonder

where they are turtling now.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MAY 22, 2013 COMMON ERA

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https://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/swollen-river/

https://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/swollen-river-ii/

https://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/swollen-river-iii-one-week-later/

https://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2013/05/23/swollen-river-v/

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Just north of Ben Burton Park,

next to a beaten path, and

beside the Middle Oconee River,

a group of trees grows from a common root system.

Some grow straight up,

toward the sky.

One grows along the ground,

down the river bank,

to drink from the river.

Another tree to the earth is bound,

forming an arch

then growing up from the surface again.

As I rank

trees in order of interest to me,

those two latter trees,

more than some others I have seen,

fascinate me more keenly.

So to them I want to march

day after day,

from their asymmetry

spiritually to sup.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MAY 14, 2013 COMMON ERA

The Middle Oconee River,

down from last week

yet still higher than usual,

cascades  over large rocks

as other rocks lay exposed to the afternoon sun

and others from the river slightly peek

out.  Turtles sun themselves

on rocks exposed

and those

with just a thin veneer of water

to cover them.

Birds occupy the river also,

not going to and fro.

I wonder if the birds and turtles

are having fun.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MAY 14, 2013 COMMON ERA

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https://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/swollen-river/

https://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/swollen-river-ii/

https://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2013/05/22/swollen-river-iv/

https://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2013/05/23/swollen-river-v/

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The river, swollen further by more rain,

has invaded and occupied Ben Burton Park,

inundating low-lying areas,

surrounding three picnic tables and a bench,

and watering trees,

once by the water,

now in it, copiously,

and roaring over rocks in its standard bed.

I notice birds perching above the opposite bank

and flying over the river.

The rocks on which turtles have sunned themselves

are submerged; where the turtles are now

I cannot ascertain.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MAY 6, 2013 COMMON ERA

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https://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/swollen-river/

https://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/swollen-river-iii-one-week-later/

https://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2013/05/22/swollen-river-iv/

https://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2013/05/23/swollen-river-v/

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The river and the creeks that feed it,

swollen and brown after recent rains,

flood trails,

envelop tree bases,

and flow in some areas

which are usually dry.

I walk on muddy trails

(for I cannot fly)

as I admire nature’s scenery,

listen to the sounds of water,

observe small waterfalls,

and notice many minute details

near to where run the trains.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MAY 5, 2013 COMMON ERA

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https://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/swollen-river-ii/

https://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/swollen-river-iii-one-week-later/

https://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2013/05/22/swollen-river-iv/

https://taylorfamilypoems.wordpress.com/2013/05/23/swollen-river-v/

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