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Up River On the Columbia
she's been around for thousands of years.
cuts between granite gorge walls,
rolls through mountain valleys, lush fields,
and high desert air.
her sheer power, her stories are legendary.
I've fished her shores.
walked in her muddy reeds.
picked her wild flowers.
refreshed myself with a swim.
but at times she's brutal, turbulent, even frothy.
one must respect her.
a ship captain knows each year
she spits up bodies.
for centuries the natives settled her banks.
told magical stories about her wealth.
then gathered with the gulls,
and rode her inconstant waves.
today birds circle.
the hillsides glare out their fellowship.
I peel an orange.
all around brown slopes cut the horizon.
this is desert country, bleak, naked, dry,
marked by tall brown grasses.
the heat can beat you flat.
nearby two Native Americans
fuss by an old truck.
one calls out "fresh caught salmon."
come evening
a train's iron wheels crack the soft ease.
a hundred cars wing the shore,
snaking around turns,
pronouncing themselves with headlights and horns.
it's the first of many goodnight runs
that hiss through lovely moonlight.
nearby a distant slope twinkles in its
own lovely world with the lights of homes.
I hear ducks wrangle,
chatter in their own language.
a curious splash catches me,
then goes under.
here, I am far from clogged streets,
overcrowded buildings,
foul sounds and smells,
the hopeless homeless,
crazy tourists, elevators and politicians.
in the slow, simple
bucolic air,
I lie on fresh grass.
the river's edge is lush. trees hang.
I feel the cool air. the view is grand.
a crow and I stare.
he grabs his grub. flies off.
Mother Earth, charming,
straight forward, uncomplicated,
takes away my worries.
today her and I are on cozy terms
though I know she can be chaos,
a devil in disguise.
in my riotous soul, I find peace, calm.
I can go deep like the fish do.
discover my shadows,
the blue sky within,
the party time that is me.
I can go as deep as I want,
till I'm quenched.
soon a field of stars will cover the sky.
this, the perfect place
to escape
the pickle jar of city life.
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