the human river

take me down to the human river
where the otters used to play
like children in the rain
splashing and laughing

and show me where the salmon ran
all sails and no wind
before they went away

to see where the trees once stood
guardians of the sun
just to say I've been there

and maybe we could bring a picnic along
and pass the time that way
like Romans in a tragic play

After lunch I'll lie back
and shut my eyes
dream of eagles flying above
and deer arriving to quench their thirst

Wild beavers at work building dams!
like we see now
Not the concrete and rebar kind
but made of real wood

Once lunch has settled
into the emerald cool depths for a splash
like a kingfisher would
before

Only...the stories are even better
of how wonderful it was then
than visiting a faint shadow
of a river yet again