What Happened To The River

Yangtze River water flows forward 

Unceasingly for eons

In a rush to merge with the sea 

It turned untamed in the past

Flooded the plains along its course

Taking its toll on lives of millions 

Tall levees thus were built 

To fight against its ruthless inundation

But this day as farmers 

Tilling their rice paddies alongside

Notice something different

Not their land nor the sky

Neither the weather

It is the silence of the river

They climb up the bank

And notice the river is dry

Its flow stops

Fish flip around on the riverbed

Gasping for breath

Wreckage of boats exposed 

Even skeletons uncovered

News spread people swarm in

To catch fish

But not for long

From the distance 

An advancing wall of water

Races down the river

Before people can escape

The torrent swallows them

Mutes their screams 

It remains a mystery

On that day seven decades ago

Why the river water was interrupted 

In the middle of its course

By Shih-Fang Wang

From: United States