Joe Nicholas

River

after "River" by Nic Alea

She is the river, no, I am the river, no,
we both are the river, or
the river flows through us, yes,
it's all flow, motion is always the simplest answer,
I miss her open mouth when it's not
on mine, she says
I talk too little, I sense she doesn't like how long
I stare at her eyes, no, through her eyes, no,
into them, I read too much into everything, no, I've learned everything
has too much to say, I've learned
I can't hear it all, no, I've learned I can't understand
all I hear, she is the river, yes,
we both are, we all are, yes, no, the river is the river, yes,
it's self evident, yes, it's beyond doubt, no,
nothing is, but that's the beauty, no,
that's the pain, yes, no, they're all just words,
which are sounds I can only partially
decipher, the river runs in circles, no,
the river runs in spirals, no,
the river runs in shapes I can't
comprehend, yes, that's the beauty, yes,
that's the pain, yes, that's the river,
she is the river, yes, I am the river, yes,
the river flows through us, yes, it's all flow,
motion is always the simplest answer.