Salto Para on the Rio Caura, Bolivar State, Venezuela
(Taken from the plane)
My husband wrote this,
To live by a river is to make it a part of your life. It flows like blood through your veins and is never forgotten. You feel it's cold and it's power. You miss it when it is gone. No other river will ever replace it. It is your blood.
Unless you have lived a life dependent upon a river, I suppose it is not easily comprehended. If you have lived along the banks of a river, and relied upon it for survival, it becomes part of who you are.
The river is the source of the water that you need to sustain life. Not only for you, but for the animals as well. The river represents
LIFE.The river is the place one goes for cleansing your person and your possessions. The river represents
CLEANSING.The river is the provider of much of your food. The fish of the river are the most accessible source of protein. The river represents
SUSTENANCE.
The river also is your highway. It provides you with passage to other places and people. The river represents
FREEDOM.
Life, cleansing, sustenance, freedom. The river. I am no poet, but I do enjoy attempting to express myself through the writing of something vaguely resembling poetry. I wrote this last year.
Yearnings
Sitting in a dugout,
Gliding down a river,
Looking upwards to the blue sky,
White, wispy clouds breezing by,
Tall jungle trees,
Pointing high!
Close my eyes,
Feel the tropical sun upon my skin,
Humidity in the air, cool water against my hand,
Dangling fingers swim in the green, brown river,
A soft mist sprays upon my brow,
Cooling water!
The jungle permeates,
Earthy, damp and musty,
A thousand years old!
The smell of a storm coming this way,
Sweet, sour, a bit of decay,
Jungle smells!
Listen! Listen!
What do you hear?
The cry of a majestic macaw,
The wind moves the leaves of the palms,
The water gurgles as it ripples,
Quiet sounds!
The sights of home,
The feel of home,
Familiar smells,
The sounds that call me home,
I hear the beckoning and I long to return,
Winding river, take me home!
