The Reed

​I am the reed in the
Mouth of the stream...
I am in surrender
And joy's not a dream

I bend with the current
I'm moving and free
I spring back from storms
I survive...I'm still me

An unyielding fortress
Would crumble and fall
And me...I move gently
And live on through all

My beauty is seen
In the storm or the sun
I stand here and sway
As the fast waters run

I am the reed in the
Mouth of the stream
I am in surrender
And joy's not a dream

    -Barbara Jack- copyright 1985

The Reed Backstory

In 1985 I walked along an Oregon river in search of answers to fears and confusion in my life. The river was at flood stage and the rain came in horizontal sheets that found their way under umbrellas and inside of hats. I was looking for a metaphor for how to live my life.

I looked first at the strong columns that held up the bridge above us. Was that my answer? Did I want to continue to be the strong, solid, unbending support for what sometimes seemed like the "whole world"? As I looked closer I noticed the garbage and junk surrounding each column, so stiff and secure. It seemed that sometimes I, too, had collected other people's garbage. I decided to look further for my metaphor.

While walking along the wind swept riverbank, I noticed objects floating past. Here was a piece of fence....there a chunk of building. It seemed that anything that was unbending was being broken down and washed away. Then I noticed the reeds growing at the side of small streams that flowed into the turbulent river. They were being buffeted around by the current, yet seemed to simply dance in the water, shift and adjust, shift and adjust. Was this my answer? Maybe so. A valued teacher had once told me that life is like a river. If you have been rafting on a river you know how it is. One minute you are slowly drifting along and then you hear a sound from around the next curve. It is the sound of rapids and suddenly it moves faster than we want to go. And sometimes it changes directions when we aren't ready. We may yell, "Stop, stop....this isn't where I wanted to go", but we go anyway. Yes, life is like a river and I choose to live like the reed.

When I came in from the storm, I sat down to write about my experience and it came out as a poem. The Reed is what quickly developed on the page. I am often reminded that the world is changing faster than ever before. Flexibility during times of change is vital. From time to time I will find myself resisting the currents of life. When muscles tighten and stress levels rise, I simply recite "The Reed" and feel relaxation start to occur!

Click here to read the related poem, The Reed Revisited