Naperville Riverwalk Foundation: Poetry

Riverwalk Poetry

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What We Need

A little more kindness and a little less creed,
A little more giving and a little less greed.
A little more smile and a little less frown,
A little less kicking when a man is down.
A little more "we" and a little less "I,"
A little more laugh and a little less cry.
A little more flowers on the pathway of life,
And fewer on graves at the end of life.

In Memory of Clyde "Budd" Netzley, Rufus Dirck Schumacher and Harry B. Ridley 1979

(The above poem is located on a memorial stone along the Riverwalk path, just west of the footbridge past the Netzley House Visitors Center near Moser Tower and Millennium Carillon.)

The Riverwalk
“Friendship and Romance”

Sometimes when I’m all alone
And my thoughts wander to and fro
There are times --- I think of you.

When the sun is shining bright
And the moon is still at night
My head is full of many thoughts
On what has happened to my life.

When a gladiola flower my eyes see
One thought is --- I think of thee

Alone was I, but then one day
A man took me by the hand
And showed me a piece of land.

We walked on covered bridges,
Where rushing waters flowed beneath.

Winding paths of red bricks were everywhere
And large green trees loomed overhead
And enveloped us with tenderness.

How quiet and serene it was, to be still and just
Enjoy it all with the man who took me by the
Hand to see this lovely place that God has made.

And most of all that is the time
I think of you.

---Ellen Raftis

A Carillon Dream Comes True
(At Rotary Hill on the Riverwalk)

They came to the hill
    to follow the dream---
Reaching high in the sky
    a sight to be seen.
The long awaited day
    was now here,
The air was warm
    and the skies were clear
Soon sounds from the band
    were filling the air
Setting the stage
    for everyone there
Then a hush settled down
    as the moment grew near,
For the sounds of the bells
    they all came to hear.
Softly they rang then
    grew louder still,
And the tones were carried
    all over the hill.
Then the cannon roared
    and smoke filled the air,
Still the carillon's tones
    were heard everywhere.
The crowds now have heard
    the dream come true,
Celebrating with honor
    the red, white and blue.
The bells forever
    will ring true and clear,
Sounding through time
    for the masses to hear.

---Peggi Beach