Such Sophisticated Poets

such sophisticated poets as John Ashbery, Zbigniew Herbert, and Anne Carson

The river got a little full

Of itself, week or two ago.

Small river, not prone to big floods,

Barely a creek in the summer.

Tourists were picturing themselves

In the cottonwoods by its banks,

The steep slopes on the other side

Filigreed with a little snow.

Had the roiling river thought to

Rise up! And smack the tourists down!

Someone would have uploaded that

In hopes the clip would go viral.

But the river stayed in its banks,

Frothing around its rocks. Tourists

Got nice shots, nothing contagious,

And wandered back to their hotels.