The River of Earth

There is a river in my soul. It flows between midnight and dawn; It leads me through the dark, To awaken in the light.
But there are rivers in my heart, Where stones shimmer in the pools
As they were placed there by a hand;
Those nameless ones who know life still.

I listen to the water’s skin, That keeps the light from my slumbering. So the river weaves its way, By gentle turns, by sudden bends—
Let it flow, let the moonbeams enter
This deep river that ignores the shores, Yet embraces me with every breath.

• Robert Bly