My Lazy River

A tip of the cap & belated HBD to Hoagy Carmichael!

I wonder if Hoagy Carmichael's
lazy river was as lazy as mine,
the muddy Muskingum,
narrow, slow, shallow,
rarely much flow
or current, winter, 
summer or spring?

Hoagy Carmichael, American musician, composer, songwriter, actor and lawyer!

Mine eases past
small farms
and even smaller towns,
tumbles over low dams
and through old lock systems
built decades ago
now seldom
if ever used.

It passes slowly beneath 
a main street bridge
connecting two sides
of the downtown
of my hometown 
then under an old
railroad trestle
before it opens its mouth 
and empties its muddy water
into the strong current
of the Ohio 
with its deep gray green water 
that quickly dilutes
the Muskingum's
which dissipates 
and a hundred feet 
later is no longer
recognizable.

Hoagy was far more leisurely
and lyrical than me, 
writing and singing, 
'up a lazy river
by the old mill run,
lazy, lazy river in the noon day sun,
linger a while in the shade of the tree,
throw away your troubles
and dream a dream of me.'

Would have been fun
to hang with Hoagy
along any one
of these lazy rivers!

RIP and happy belated birthday
Mr. Carmichael. 
Nov. 22, 1899 - Dec. 27, 1981.