The River Between Us

The River Between Us

He sought to touch you and found he could not find you, he sought to understand you but could not hear you." Conrad Aiken

Watershed yes, I am writing to you even now even though this river lives between us

Brackish Waters The river is insistent and yet our conversations are modest are constantly moving she always repeats herself never repeats herself repeats herself in the damp blue dusk of rustling leaves in the sky circling with herons

The letters I write you are in an amber color of sap oozing from our carved initials laying on top of each other. a talisman – expanding each year the white sycamore at the bend of the river The River

Down River at the rivers edge river mud running through my fingers watch it fall back into the water small brown rivulets moving fast away from me down river a stag leaps across

Weave of water While you sleep I send you small birds to weave words into your hair the river holds me back instead she weaves herself Did you wonder why on waking the damp pillowcase?

Crested When the river rises I send my armada of paper boats to you – have you looked in the trees my navy beached on branches? A sudden Breeze will bring me to you

Augury The sun falls past leaves onto words that float in and out of currents I try to read them as they pass but the ravens have their nests to build

Waist deep in water She weaves red thread into river-water the dusk around her rests on rivulets, alights on gold leaf spin casts small shadows. across bare skin She Now sings rocks a lullaby rocks the river On the shore a paper boat

on a bedside table the bed the child his eyes get heavy heavier

Sleep I follow the floating faint glow of lamp light in and out of trees on the other shore The greening river sings sings a lullaby sings me to sleep

Alluvium the river crowned last night drowning our gardenThere from envy a deep silt offering for next spring.

Maybe one more spring

To White this morning the light changed around a small child’s wagonaround the first birch leaf to finally let go of all that greenexhausted by its own exuberance. Did you notice?

Oxbow My conver sations with her are constantly changing, she is always changing herself, she is always the same always changing Rain falls from leaves Small circles quiver on the water leaves shake in the reflection shake off

their green move toward gold

Babel sometimes it’s so quiet that I walk away from the river walk through dusty cathedrals of light to pray to return to return always to her

River Rocks She is always arriving always leaving I am still here on the shore throwing stones over the river’s undulating body This morning did you hear their damp dead thump among the damp fallen leaves calling to you?

Chill there is a chill in the air can you feel it? I raise my collar imagine a long coat for you Take eat this the body of my prayers

Singing it’s been too long love since I looked forward to winter Maybe that comes with reading the migration of certain birds or the tracks of coyotes left in the dust under a full moon or the shedding skin of the snake coiled in my chest?

Broken China A winter for the spring that never came? I’m singing alone in the kitchen the river that lives between us sings with me We’ve become closer she doesn’t know everything Did you find the bundled sticks and river stones I left ?

Breath The nights are getting colder have you notice I am no longer speaking

Towards the south I walk the length her body where buckle berries bend at the bank drink long and slow I wander up to the top of a hill where couriers have brought urgent telegrams written on red

and gold leaves “Be of good cheer.”

Memento for now I look down the length of the river, her long bluegreen body curves north We have not spoken for awhile I look to the horizon look forward to winter like when we met

Take Leaves Leaves are falling freely spinning bobbing the river takes them caresses holds them afloat past trout hiding under the roots of a black tupelo under the almanac’s torn out pages

The Effigy I walk the river My hair has grown long my beard a nest for sparrows I gather feathers fallen from birds in flight arrange sticks and stones river mud and leaves into an effigy dress it in my shirt and pants put prayers I have written you where my heart would be.

leave it on my side of the river Standing naked I wade into the river wash away my sins lay quiet on the shore dry in the air standing small leaves stick to my skin I walk the river turn south and walk away walk away singing your name

Snowfall at last snow fall ing so quiet the world is whispering like a mother and father closing the door after a lullaby