The Potomac River by Terry M. Hammes

Where eagles ride updraft currents

Soaring high above the trees

Lies the Potomac River in Virginia

Running to the Sea

Verdant lushness teaming with wildlife

Where deer, rabbits and pheasants alight

Waters lit by golden moons

Reflections kissed by starlight

River of plenty, named by Indians

Home to Founding Forefathers

Engine for Prosperity

Helped establish the United States

Site of Civil War battlegrounds

Fallen forests and fallen men

Bled our Ancestry fighting

For Freedom and Liberty

About The Potomac River

I climbed these very rocks as a young child on family outings and later on many high school picnics. Originally, from Springfield, VA, I wrote this poem while living in Historic Fredericksburg, VA in August 2003. This original woodcut dated 1861 from The London Times Newspaper, depicts Civil War snipers. I bought it online at eBay in November 2003 for $12.50. With it came a color copy of a feature story from National Geographic dated 1961, commemorating the 100 year anniversary of the Civil War commencement -- illustrated by my print! It was originally called the Potomac River in Stafford for a poetry contest to win a 100 acres of riverfront land, as described in a Washington Post story in 2003.

Terry M. Hammes, © 2003