Dragging the River
Knowing the truth of it, he marvels
at the red grape’s resiliency,
how it contains itself even after
a fall. What matters, what doesn’t.
Those simplistic thoughts
dissipating in the coffee’s sad
swirl. And what they wanted,
truly wanted, even more than
that first plunge of lips to private
flesh or the forbidden highlights
in the book of dreams never to
be opened. He looks over the side,
but can’t divine the message
in the brown ripples. A wine bottle
bobs by, followed by an inflated vest
and two snarled branches. Everything
revealed in its time.
* * *
“Dragging the River” first appeared inMay 2019 in The Elixir Magazine out of Yemen.
O at the Edges 
Excellent!!!
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Thanks very much, John.
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Most mysterious, conjures up all sorts of could-be scenarios … and all sorts of curiosity about what triggered this one. A good intrigue here!
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I was thinking about hurricanes and floods and human fragility and how there often is no sense to be made from the chaos surrounding us.
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Mmmm – I was drawn to those forbidden highlights in the book of dreams never to
be opened – coupled with everything revealed in time. Led to sense of acceptance w/o knowing “highlights” of what’s ahead – forward with curiosity to see what reveals itself whenever … (Preferably not a hurricane, but human fragility inevitable, and that fragility can lead to awareness on a level never “dreamed” …)
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My favorite highlights have all been unforeseen. 🙂
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