River

I had an idea for using a river as a metaphor for relationships. This was originally written as a shape poem.

RIVER

 

Softly, we reveal

Hidden depths we never knew we had,

Maintain a constant babble,

For fear of what our silence might reveal.

 

ATTRITION

We give as good as we get,

Knocking the sharp edges off one another,

Until finally something gives,

Pebble-smooth, we resort to silence;

compliant but, underneath,

Sharp as ice.

 

EROSION

Gradually, over time,

A harsh word here, a well-directed jibe,

We laugh as we fling -

When we come to our senses,

Nothing left but shifting ground.

 

WHIRLPOOL

And gradually, our minds begin to wonder:

What might life had been, had we not met?

We think the unthinkable, play with adjectives -

Happy. Bored. Depressed.

Talk ourselves in circles

But always find ourselves

Back where we have been.

 

MEANDER

Who wandered first is a matter for debate -

A sudden storm? More frequently, the steady drip,

A gradual overlay of silt and leaves dams us

To our fate - we find oursleves

Oxbowed.

 

OXBOW

Wet kisses are softer than water on sand,

The gradual erosion of all we hold ear.

 

CONFLUENCE

I, You, Me

Become We

Become free-floating

Bubble white

Horse spaces fizz

Billow whip

Pillow swirl

Twirl swim

Slip slide

WE.