The Reed Revisited

​Turn not away from fast water
Turn not away from it's strife
For with it comes challenge and wonder...
And with it comes newness and life

I used to crave quiet and stillness
Like ponds without ripples or waves
But sometimes without the fast water
Ponds can be still stagnant graves.

      -Barbara Jack-   copyright 1987

The Reed Revisited Backstory

Two years after discovering the reed as my life metaphor, I returned to the river. My question was...is the reed still the answer to how I live my life? I was tired! The past 2 years had been filled with more changes and turmoil than any two year period of my life. As I walked along the river, I wondered if the reed in fast water was still an appropriate model for me.

Suddenly my eyes fell on a small pond that stood quietly near the river. It looked wonderfully peaceful...free from ripple or wave. My imagination was racing. Here is a whole new way of looking at life. How great! In my excitement, I walked over, and bent down to take a closer look. MIND THIS ADVICE! Do not look at a quiet pond too closely.

Upon looking into the pond the first impression was that I couldn't see things clearly. Then my eyes focused on what was there. It was a layer of scum that covered everything below the water. Everything looked colorless and dead. This was not the way I wanted to live my life. Turning away from fast water came at too high a price.

Choosing to continue life as the reed in fast water, I wrote "The Reed Revisited"

Click here to read the related poem, The Reed