—Painting, Paterson Falls, by Tony Canger
we fetch the river from the river
and pour the river in the river
upstream, downstream
doesn’t matter
this river’s not a caring river
but is ……………. forever
………………………. river
moving sometimes smoothly
its surface gleams in sunstruck air
until it plunges into cataracts
in turmoil, fluming it
batters boils blunders
raking banks— despoiling.
unsparing river
……. until it drops
……. into a basin
still then, and saintly,
while its mist (a cool spray
of fluming water
with crisp wet hisses)
plays background
in a watermusic vision
that sounds of symphonies
of high frequency adolescent kissing
which warms its watermusic mixing
it with new levitating air
young air
above this basin
which below dives deeper
suggesting stuff
we might be
missing
…. ah!
fetch the river from the river
and pour the river in the river
upstream downstream
doesn’t matter
this river’s pools
of swirling passion
where lovers drop
their lines for fishing
and love is caught and won
and said, and done
foreswearing darker things
—even the darkest one
this river’s the only
proven venue
for ecstatic blissing!
.
by Jim Culleny
4/21/16
Blink 