(after Friedensreich Hundertwasser)
From where I standthe river is a symbol
and the landscape less itselfthan our idea of itself.
We walk through unawareof the compromise.
We don’t speak the river’s tongue.Mythic bottled panorama.
It was built for more than bridges.
Crocodiles and river godscall it home.Squalls and lotus eaterscall it sister.
Bathers call it hither and yonand here we stand as skeptics.
We forget the times we drowned,as a duchess and a soldier
as a guest of the water.
We would pave the river overif we could.
We would wear it as a boat wearsits prowess upon the hook.
And it would lure us in to its centerspilling into our yards and overflowingits every bank with water and dreams of water.
The vision has not invited us into its discussion.The vision is busy being itself.
Water snake water ratwashing shirts and bodiesand still…
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The American Poetry Review (Digital) - 1 Issue, May/June 2022