ARTSPEAK! Poem #23 "Rowing Scene"

Hello, and welcome to day #23 of ARTSPEAK!, my Poem-a-Day Project for National Poetry Month 2015, in which I am writing from images found in the online collections of the National Gallery of Art and focusing on dialogue, conversations, what does the piece say? 

Today's piece is "Rowing Scene" by E. Levy.

Right away I knew I wanted to write this one in the voice of the river. What must it feel like to have boats and paddles and so many people invading your space? Or maybe the river feels pride or joy or....

I should admit that I really know very little about rowing. A friend of mine in Washington, DC, has kids who do"crew," but here in the south, it's not a popular sport. I did a little Googling to find some authentic words that might be heard by the river, and I also found out that the boats are made of fiberglass, not wood (as was in my first draft of the poem). I'd be interested to hear from any readers with rowing experience to let me know if this poem reads "true."

Be sure to visit Tamera at The Writer's Whimsy to see how our Progressive Poem is progressing!