River Speak

A Poem by redzone

sometimes sitting by a river inspires...

RIVER SPEAK

**”Ya ha no ha " Ya ha no ha”

(wishes of happiness and prosperity)

Lately I have been listening to the river,

the one that flows,

what seems like forever,

past my house.

It speaks in reflected sky,

in crystal moon

and spring rain

as it whispers kisses to the shore

sharing its aqua green wetness with trees;

who’s roots are always thirsty

for the river’s deep channel wisdom,

gorged over eons

of white water singing.

It reminds me how we,

upright travelers, are still rooted

in its constant motion,

while always seeking its origins;

always riding its currents

into forests, valleys and deltas below,

wanting to know where it goes.

Lately, I have taken long strolls in the midnight,

stopping to sit by the old oak that rests calmly

by the river. Sister hawk and brother owl

watch with hungry eyes from among its boughs,

at times, ruffling feathers as if answering questions

about star dreams,

or soaring along the river by night.

Maybe they are simply wishing the river a flowing sigh

or the oak to drop some acorns

so squirrels can feed.

While in reply the river’s song

is always the same:

“Ya ha no ha " Ya ha no ha”.

Lately, I have felt the gentle urge to dive into these waters;

to listen closely as the river speaks around me,

filling me with its indigo words,

sharing with me its unending world

and its sky reflected sounds.

“Are you there, I ask?

Is this where you’ve gone?

Can you speak to me of life again?

I have missed your wet touch,

your flowing, bubbly skin,

the way we used to just drink each other in;

All the while sitting on lily pads and fallen limbs.”

Lately, I have been listening to the river.

It speaks in reflected sky,

crystal moon

and spring rain.

It speaks to the oak outside my house

of wetness, laughing and teasing its thirsty roots.

And, it speaks to me with your song-

“Ya ha no ha " Ya ha no ha”.

“Come, jump into me with your

curious heart as in my flow we will

discover wisdom, life and the art

of speaking river.”

~~redzone 1.30.07

© 2016 redzone

Author's Note

something I wrote a few years ago and wanted to share.. thanks for reading..

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Reviews

barleygirl

Before I get into your lovely amazing poem, I must comment on your musical choice. I hardly know ANYONE who listens to this genre, but I have an entire collection of CD's from Native artists, including a couple from the one you've featured. This music is my favorite, despite my parallel enjoyment of rock-n-roll . . . but most of the time, I prefer the soft strains of peace & grace & humanity that comes thru listening to Native tunes . . . this is what I'm listening to, with my head in the sand, to blot out all the madness of the world.

Your poem is powerfully stated & full of lovely connections (esp. in 1st stanza) . . . resembling the way Natives think of our world & nature & humanity as being all connected & inter-dependent (we must all thrive together). I absolutely LOVE & subscribe to these exact ideas & ideals as my hodge-podge sense of faith includes a big portion of staying in tune with Great Spirit. Your poem resonates on all these notes. And then, as might be expected on a Friday from you, the second-to-last stanza is a barely-there transformation from sensory to sensual . . . love the way this goes until the end.

Back in my avid hiking days, I would ALWAYS hike up to the headwaters of the many creeks & rivers where I did my hiking in these nearby hills, plus a few places in the great Sierra-Nevada mnts. I had a driving curiosity to find the headwaters & then I would sit by these magical sources & feel a serene peace as if I'd found a secret hidden chapel. Thanks for taking me back to these lovely excursions before my body betrayed me . . . *sigh* . . . (((HUGS)))