The Rape Of The River (1938)

Lucid, on gravel bed
The river fled
Gnawing her rooted shore.
Snags formed a fishing ground
Where trout abound,
Haunting the river floor.

Cities her sides infect
Her course deflect,
Harness, enslave her, raped
Polluted, sewage swill;
Untainted till
Beauty her banks escaped.

Murky, on slimy stones
With murmured moans
Staining all that she touched,
Living yet dead, she fled.
Her tethered tread,
Hindered where buildings clutched.

- William Malewitz

Fulfillment, like happiness, has to be earned, not found.