Will you be there? At the river As it rolls softly Over my toes That timidly tickle The colored pebbles In the shallows Lapping among the reeds And calling my name Will you be there? When the cold Nibbles at my skin Sending goosebumps Everywhere And the water Begins to dance between my legs Pulling me into its sway When I finally dare to feel the spirit At my knees As I hold my skirt up To keep the cloth dry Will you be there? When I'm gasping The currents swelling Around my throat As I come to the length That I can no longer ford Knowing that air Belongs to the world And I to the river That fills my ears With my name A single exasperous note Will you be there? As I hold my breath And swim and push My own mind To believe that a river Emanating from this temple Can unsalt the sea And reckon with a world unseen A time untold A heart unyielding To settle for yellow suns That are meant to glow red And I am sunken Among the echoes That formed me For this humble river Has become The mighty Jordan of old The Pishon The Gihon The Euphrates The Tigris And the Nile Fish filled Rebirthing this earth Long been dusty With faded drumbeats Of warring tribes Refreshing vigor This river Now draws me To the other side Will you be there? On the other side? As I am brought forth As a stranger Laughing The ridiculous notion Of a plunge Dripping off my shoulders Now standing and wringing my hair Clearing the water from my lashes Looking for a friend - R.R. Tavárez *Photo by pure julia.