I Only Want to Swim in Rivers

In stilted summers such as this,
I only want to swim in rivers.

When the air gets hot and sticky
I want my salty sweat to blend
with water that has sprung from mountain aquifers
and mingled with melted snow;
water born in boreal forests,
and filtered through ancient indigenous watersheds.

Oceans are mired in mythology.
Ponds seem thick and teeming with green.
Lakes appear fickle and full of themselves.
Quarries are deep and hide dark secrets.

I want to feel water on my skin that is not afraid to take a risk.
Water that has direction but likes to meander.
Water that is carried by the wonder of its own revealing.

I want to dive into water that has carved
gullies
and canyons
and gorges . . .
Water that has overflowed its banks without
hanging around to deal with the consequences.

Rivers have a way of taking you along for the ride
and maybe even setting you free —
they don’t expect you to stick around
and fall in love with them.

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“A woman in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing. She goes where she will without pretence and arrives at her destination prepared to be herself and only herself.” – Maya Angelou

This poem was published in the Poets for Science Global Gallery curated by poet Jane Hirshfield and the Wick Poetry Centre at Kent State University to demonstrate the connection between poetry and science, and how each discipline can inform the work of the other.

May these words bring truth
and healing through open hands and hearts.
And then, let it flow back into our Mother Earth
for the love of all her beings.

Cover art: Diane Perazzo