The mighty Mumford’s appeal

Is that this river is real…

From cedar tree swamps

Past summer camps,

And ponds where fishermen  creel!

–

Conjoined, two different creeks,

Wander through back yards and sneaks…

Hardly impressive

Peaceful not restive,

Over waterfalls it speaks.

–

Riedell (“riddle”) brook merges

Into the Mumford which urges…

Water to flow

Far down below,

Down through mill ponds turbid.

–

Through Uxbridge it parallels,

The Blackstone River it swells…

In South Uxbridge reeds

The merging succeeds,

Complete with cleaned-up river smells.

–

When paralleling Blackstone,

It makes the old canal its own…

Flowing through locks

Stripped of big rocks,

History courses along.

–

–Jonathan Caswell