River Ode

Mighty Mississippi roll along
you've seen it all, no doubt
the meanest, cruelest masters of hate,
the passionate, starving lovers
reaching for each other
under the stars, in the mud,
anywhere there might be a drop of pleasure,
and you rush the flight of phantom sinners to safety,
or perhaps to deliver your own unique angle on the Law
and Justice as we have come to know it,
On a whim you take anything in your Path
just because you can,
When folks need reminding
who runs the show
And why any of it is intact after so long,
so dark a history,
So quiet and remote
there are those who think that God
hasn't seen into the heart of you,
but your serenades have reached the ears of God
for a long time now,
And have been translated by many
hypnotized by the Legends of the Crossroads,
since RJ made his Fascinating Deal
with the Devil
Mighty Mississippi,
your name is on the lips of children jumping skipping rope,
and playing pattiecake,
and women who remember hot sticky nights
on Mud Island,
Travel agents, and politicians promise you
are the next
Big Thing
And riverboat Gamblers
keep on lettin' it roll,
Laughing at the news
and eating Catfish