repeated dream

walking on the edges of a moving river
before i even think to get closer
to the water-----to step in
and swim- to join forces,
or simply splash, merely float..

i begin to walk without lifting my feet
as if i had cross country skis on
i glide through ankle height water
along side the moving river

i am neither ahead or behind
it is feeling just about right
moving with freedom- as opposed to
against the current mess
this country is in

more billionaires then ever
more hungry than ever
the math makes no sense
even to the most literate

but most of all to a child
growing up alongside
the sheer hope of a moving river
akin to a young dogwood:

knowing she would be needing
more than sunshine and rain
to move through life gracefully

and a job at burger king
would not pay rent for more than a week
in the crummiest of places
and the dream of being a doctor of divinity
remains a dream for another lifetime

dressed in oak leaves and the stark
glare of glasses without shades
staring out into space
with the abundance of stars---
never making it into her soup bowl

she grabs her rod and reel and waits
at the river side for rainbow fish
are a jumping--and soon
wild mushrooms and mullein
will be in season

~words and photo~kate lamberg