Endless River: Poems & Reflections by Brett Dufur

Endless River is a stunning collection of poems on not just the Missouri River but life itself as it meanders from our birth to our death. The river is nature, family and soul. Dufur's metaphors flow consistently throughout the seasons of life. The reader feels the power of the river in the flow and the structure of the poetry. Dufur is a storyteller, so the reader is transported along the current, viewing the lives of birds, animals, and love ones. The use of sonics and rhyme call up the songs of all the voices filling our lives. The poet sings of joy and laments loss. But the undercurrent of this poetic journey is ratite and love. The collection of poems is an allegorical and uplifting story of our lives. 

Dufur anchors us firmly to the physical Midwest - Missouri's rivers, woods, trails and rainstorms - while zigzagging down its unworldly streams of ancestral ghosts, fatherhood and the hallelujah sounds found in the siftings of gravel bars. in lines like, "We were born in the great middle spaces / in the belly of a timeless hummingbird / already in flight," Dufur steps forward in the long, honorable tradition of river poets and songwriters before him.

Inside the stunning cover by Missouri's New Regionalism artist Bryan Haynes, Dufur explores and celebrates the cycles of life and nature in this poignant love letter to the Missouri River, its community and the many gifts it offers to those willing to listen.

Spanning an extensive range of topics and emotions, readers will surely find themselves immersed in new celebrations of the world around them.

Product Specifications

Published by Pebble Publishing, 2023. Paperback, 160 pages.