THE RIVER

The River

Here the elements converge – earth, air, water, light.

         The river surface a rippling mirror of color

         in motion, blue sky, gray clouds, green

                  and amber canopies of leaves.

                  Turtles slip from rocks,

                           trout snap at insects. Deer, song bird,

                           fox, coyote, heron – predator and prey gather

                                    on its banks, laced with moss and peat.

                                    Lush with life, death. Autumn leaves,

                           decaying flesh and vegetation

                           settle into the fetid, fertile silt,

                  nourish river life the way

                  memories nourish the living.

         Amorphous, the river absorbs

         spring rains, gains strength,

                  swells with torrents,

                  folds in on itself,

                           folds oxygen into

                           foaming white waters.

                                    In summer, the shallow river flows,

                                    in winter, frozen over, beneath it flows.

                                             Still the river remains constant,

                                             knows its path. If you become lost,

                           follow the river as it meanders

                           down the mountain, makes its way

                  from source to mouth,

                  just as blood knows

                           its way around the body,

                           traveling from and to the heart.

- Diane Dolphin

The River first appeared in Poetry and Art, gallery exhibit and anthology, Wickford Art Association, RI, 2016. © 2016 Diane Dolphin. All Rights Reserved.