---
and the river, it flowed from no where
but I could hear the beginning of a story
in my grandmother's gentle voice
gently rising and falling, drawing breath
recalling to me the times she stood knee deep
watching the fish and waiting
a few feet, behind her husband
a few hours, before the rising sun
and the long walk home in silence
under the weight of shouldered baskets
towards home again
along the river that flowed from no where
towards another day, of the same life
---
photo: Ashland Creek, Lithia Park, february 2020