Sweetwater

The water is dark and cold and swift,
And in it like toys rough blocks of ice drift.
With a sound as desolate as the breeze
Despairing the broken fall on their knees.
The water is swift and dark and cold,
Too much for the weary, the sick, the old.
The young men's eyes meet, their owners say,
"We will carry you all across today."
The water is cold and swift and dark.
Those strong pairs of arms, like Noahs ark,
Carry the people too weak to go
Through the black water to banks of white snow.
The water is pleasant and warm and bright,
So diff'rent in this sunny summer light
That shines as I stop and ponder on
The sacrifice of those brave boys long gone.