Does The
Does the river feel the rocks the sandy grit the boulders
that shape its way to the sea; does the rasp of granite in
its forms bruise the cheek as it rushes forward long; do
the stumps and branches shred like brush stroked hair; is
there pain aplenty, being dashed and pulverized falling
headlong through torrents and, after, splayed to the sun
through a shallow run; are you, finally, known by your
journey, by the landscapes that shape you, rasp and grab
you, tumble and splinter, ‘til you’ve forgotten who began
the journey; then, does the sea invite you, to rest, to lay
in its arms, in the mingle of rivers and scars, slowly
passing, in the quiet loss of memory, to a deeper sleep
than ever known…
‘til, in the alchemy for which the sea is known,
you regain unblemished face, and rise through
transformation, as pure drops of breathless motion,
until finding wakefulness, once again, in a river’s rush…
to the sea.
FRITZ SCHNEIDER 2019