The River by Valerie Bloom

this a video about Valerie Bloom.

 the poet of The River.
this is the poem for form 1 students.

this is the paraphrase of the poem

The River’s a wanderer,

A nomad, a tramp,

He doesn’t choose one place

To set up his camp.

The poet compared the river to a wanderer because a wanderer does not choose a place to stay for a long time. Same goes to the river which continues flowing and never stops.

The River’s a winder,

Through valley and hill

He twists and he turns,

He just cannot be still.

This stanza explains that a river does not rest or stops. Even though there are valleys or hills upfront, the river will continue flowing by adapting the surface of the Earth.

The River’s a hoarder,

And he buries down deep

Those little treasures

That he wants to keep.

The poet is comparing a river to a hoarder because when the river flows, it won’t stop to evade things which come across its way. The river will carry all the things with it and bury them in the river bed.

The River’s a baby,

He gurgles and hums,

And sounds like he’s happily

Sucking his thumbs.

In this stanza the river is compared to a baby because a baby’s voice sometimes can be too loud and sometimes it can be too slow. Same goes to the river, whenever he goes fast down the stream the sound is loud and when it comes to a more flat ground, the sound lessen and sometimes it cannot be heard.

The River’s a singer,

As he dances along,

The countryside echoes

The notes of his song.

The sixth stanza compares the river to a singer seeing that the river’s movement is significant to the movement of a singer on the stage. While moving, the river moves with sounds and it is heard to the countryside.

The River’s a monster

Hungry and vexed,

He’s gobbled up trees

And he’ll swallow you next.

The river is said to be a monster because when the water level increases and the speed of the stream is boosted, it will be a disaster that no one could stop it until it alleviate itself.