07 May 2026

River

There is a river in me, and 
I let you flow through it.

The fragrance of your hair
dissolves into its currents,
the tones of your anklets
ripple across the water.
and the caress of your feet
colors its otherwise 
restless depths.

If I ask you to be my navigator,
will you do the honors?
will you place your hands
upon the trembling compass
of my longing and pretend 
you know where this ache 
is headed?

I would obey gladly.
“Aye aye, Captain,” I’d say
like a compliant child who trusts 
the sea only because you're 
beside me.

Let the darkness of night 
be dealt with reading the
stars aloud, let our fancy be
always the constellations 
of the other world.

And when we reach the sea,
don't just stand and watch
me disappear.
step into my depths and
take me to the shores.

If I drift, guide me towards you.
If I drown, lemme be subsumed 
in your reflection.
Atone my storms, 
repair the fear of shipwrecks
in my heart-

For what is a river if not a 
body searching endlessly
for surrender?

Let us find new beaches 
everyday to break as waves.
Let us do it so meticulously 
till they can't say, 
where we began and 
where we ended.