river dream

Once, on a day so hot I thought I might die, I descended toward a watery sound. A shallow river, as if eager for arrival at its destination, raced, tumbling over its rocky bed. Stepping into the flow, my pale feet and ankles, quickly numbed by the cold, rippled in the current. I laid my body down on a bed of water and stone, breathing deeply into the icy shock. As the cooling flow broke and spread over my head, shoulders, arms, chest, belly, and legs, I heard the river murmur as if from within, welcoming, embracing, dissolving me. Above, a goldfinch, surfing invisible currents, wove a lemony thread into the blue.

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