The River Greed

I remember as a child, walking with my Dad on the bank near the Susquehanna River. In the sunlight, the windows of the buildings on the other side of the river shone like gold.

He told me a story about a man who nearly drowned in search of great riches only to find that the windows were not truly gold, but plain glass. Sometimes we reach for things that look rich and desirable only to find they are tainted and ugly. Many years later, after my Dad passed away, this poem resulted during a time of reflection.

The River Greed
Copyrighted 2006, Janet K Poludniak

When man makes work top priority
hoping for the "mother load,"
he never takes the time to play;
the more he works, the more is owed.
When he gets tired and discouraged,
much of life is filled with dread.
He's seeks desperately for a better way
to provide his daily bread.

On the far side of the River Greed,
does the grass appear more green?
Do riches bring folks happiness?
Does life there seem more keen?
She's a wild and treacherous river
that flows from east to west;
when man judges by what he sees,
the far side may seem best!

Tall buildings on the other side
have windows that shine like gold,
but across the treacherous River Greed,
is a truth oft' left untold.
He walks the banks of his desire,
but finds no bridge or boat.
In vain, he seeks to build a raft
in hopes that it will float.

Alas, he musters the courage . . .
jumping in to struggle across.
He knows he may not make it,
but would that be such a loss?
When he finally reaches the other shore,
battered, scared and broken,
that's where he learns a terrible truth . . .
the hard things left unspoken.

Has he beaten the river's fury?
Does he feel exhilaration
when he makes his way up the river bank
to stage his celebration?
As he crests the banks of the River Greed,
tall buildings all in view,
he finds the windows, golden before,
are now a darker hue.

Their golden glow came from the sun
that rose at the break of day,
and the riches he had heard about
were the gifts of time and play.
And all those years of wishing . . .
longing for a greener space?
He'd had it all those years before . . .
but failed to see its place.

Happiness is not a thing
that comes from being rich;
men can know true happiness
while digging in a ditch.
Those who value what they have
are the richer breed,
not tempted by a golden glow,
or duped by River Greed.

Godliness with contentment . . .
now truly that's great gain!
But if we would be happy,
we must let go of pain.
The River Greed, is just a trap
to make us covet more,
to think that we are "have nots,"
or that our lives are poor.

God promised to provide our needs
and He'll do this and more.
We need to keep our eyes on Him,
'til we reach that final shore.
River Greed is not the answer . . .
whichever side we choose,
so long as we keep trusting God,
we'll find we cannot lose.

Story ID:	3787
Written by:	JANET KESSLER POLUDNIAK (bio, link, contact, other stories)
Organization:	JUST ME
Story type:	Poem
Location:	Cayuga NY USA
Year:	1955
Person:	In Memory of Dad who told me the story of windows of gold.