the night river
by Carrie Karnes Fannin

Let go.
 
Ship your single oar
and drift
on the night river.
 
Float
 
through
open gates
toward
rocky shoals,
eddies,
and
​
deep, salty
oceans.
 
(As
it’s said--
a
word
after
a
word
after
a
word
is
power.)


Each drop
alike.
 

None
quite
the same.


Borrow
a taste of milk
from other tongues.

Dip
your cup.
Drink deep.

Speak
for the pleasure
of savoring
each
 sound.
­­­
Dream
into being
your ancestral
songs
as you follow
 the water’s
ever-changing
line.
 
Leave
your
mother tongue
behind
and swim
in
the river of stars
above.