source to sea

high in the rarified atmosphere
the frozen tundra began to melt
slowly against the glare of the
burning summer sun, so relentless
in blazing fury, so penetrating
in firey warmth.

a trickle of melted snow wound
through the circuitous route
of rock and crag, ravine and
hollow, meeting together
with another trickle, and yet
another still

until, as one, they formed
a gentle gurgling stream
rushing through the
subterranean depths, twisting
and turning, until their gathered force
bubbled out into the open under
the canopy of the dense rainforest
as a vibrant flow of purity.

on they flowed under the watchful
eyes of towering old growth and myriad
fauna and creatures of the wood.
they gathered strength through depth and
width, their collective speed mounting in
a race down hill until together they reached
the abyss--

and they fell.
in a spray of beautiful abandon they leapt
off the cliff into the unknown,
trying to cling to each other, but being
pulled apart until over 650 feet below
they thunderously gathered in a pool of
cacophonous serenity.

rest was well deserved, but only fleeting,
their attention drawn to yet another
journey downhill, gurgling, wondering,
hoping, fearing the distant rumble of
waters great.

and indeed they saw the source and enormity
of the powerfully flowing river as they entered
its flow for the first time, a small trickle penetrating
an aged tide, inexorably drawn to yet another great
unknown.

through current and undercurrent, subcurrent
and gusting winds above, they flowed in restless
dissonance with the great river to its destination.
where might they be headed? what will become
of their gathering? why are they here?

on they journeyed, now becoming accustomed
to the gathered and conflicted strength
of their newfound flow. yet, some time later,
they sensed a change in the air. it was cooler,
it harbored a wildness. the flow seemed more
chaotic as together they plunged forward into
greater depths, like a flow being forced through
a funnel out into a massive body of water.
and, indeed, they met for the first time, the great
ocean of salt and sea, wild and cavernous, the greatest
of all the seas.

it was there that they said their goodbyes,
realizing that it was time to part ways.
with sad resolve they waved, as in the murky depths
they were pulled apart to destinations yet-to-be
determined. alone, but not afraid. well, maybe a little.
maybe a lot. cold depths have that effect on new arrivals,
but not for too long as they form new alliances
in their quest to flow unhindered on their journey to
distant ports of call.

26 June 2008 by Glen Alan Woods