Melissa says squatting in the river is like squatting behind
a restaurant. Or over the toilet of a rural restroom
several hours into a road trip. This is a moment of rest
where I must engage my core muscles. I look
at Erin unswayed by the Black River
and admire her thighs. I look at Idra
inches closer to the river mouth
and thank her for catching the big sticks
before they reach me. A few times
I held on to Lydi who was holding
Sarah’s hand. I, too, wanted to submerge
without being pulled under the bridge. Then Felicia
invoked the river for democracy and joy. Idra
invoked the river for rivers. Sarah asked the river
for money. But what about the end of money?
Felicia proposed. The end of money! We prayed
or the end of money which I’d earned that day
in paid virtual spaces. I’d been meeting with colleagues
in California offices and Florida offices. The wind made
for a poor connection and Annie said she’d have to wait
for the leaves to fall before her satellite
could secure the good internet. I’d left
her messages unread to ferry students between
a classroom and a brilliant tree. I was still
longing to be ferried by someone else
when Lydi invoked a night swim and we left
the town for a state access road
which faced a small mountain and turned toward
a strawberry moon.
