By Hassan Ismail Adekunle
THE QUIET RIVER
The river keeps its oldest songs
beneath a skin of silver light.
It teaches stones the art of patience
and carries every dawn downstream.
Birds arrive before the sun,
stitching morning into the trees.
Their wings awaken sleeping branches
with whispers softer than the breeze.
The reeds bow low to passing currents,
as though greeting an old friend home.
Clouds pause upon the mirrored surface,
watching their pale reflections roam.
A fisherman waits without complaint,
trusting time more than his net.
The water knows the language of hope
better than words have spoken yet.
Children skip smooth stones across the flow,
counting each bright leap with delight.
The ripples gather every laughter
and carry it beyond my sight.
I leave with empty hands,
yet somehow return
carrying the silence
the river lent to me.
Its quiet lingers in my heart,
a gentle guide through restless days,
reminding me that steady waters
often reveal life’s deepest ways.
Hassan Ismail Adekunle is a Nigerian poet whose work explores memory, identity, and contemporary African life. His poems have appeared in literary magazines, including the Inverse Journal.
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