The Music of the Brazos

Thomas Hemminger

April 23, 2023

Our troop went camping

on the banks of the Brazos. 

Palo Pinto in a fresh October 

is still comfortably warm. 

My son and I pitched our tent

on an overlook, safely clear of the water’s edge

but with panoramic appreciation of its beauty. 

The river meandered below our door

like a silver staff of music being 

written and sung by a chorus of creation

too mighty for us to perceive all at once.

One by one, we picked out the players.

We heard river bass 

splashing around their common pools,

caught the drone of dragonflies 

crisscrossing over the watery ripples,

and sensed the rhythm of frogs along the rocks, 

playing the protagonists in their own plots.  

At night a slinking, sly, villainous cottonmouth had his solo 

as he slithered along in the spotlight

of our lamp, seeking something to snatch.

A million stars shimmered over our concert, 

their constellations like statuesque balustrades 

circling higher and higher in our endless music hall.

Our dreams were an enchanted intermission 

in this ancient song. 

In the morning, those melodies still swirled around us 

while we cooked, then sauntered around, and 

as we finally broke our camp. 

When the curtain came down on our stay,

we were thankful for the river.

That exact performance

will not be heard again,

but is ours to treasure forever.

Thomas Hemminger is an elementary music teacher living in Dallas, Texas. His personal hero is Mr. Fred Rogers, the creator of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. It was through America’s favorite “neighbor” that Thomas learned of the importance of loving others, and of giving them their own space and grace to grow.