I’ve been swimming against the current for weeks as my belly grows and work becomes more difficult. Why worry about money when my clothes are sopping wet and I can barely keep afloat? The animals of the forest line the banks to watch my head tarry from boulder to rock. They don’t make a sound except for the hush fell of the wind among them. If I worry then my mind gets dark and I’m not able to see the logs coming straight for me. If I think about the joys of the past, then my head starts to sink under. The darkness becomes welcoming for a few seconds. Frogs bellow and croak as a mantra from day to night. I won’t lose my breath if I can stay present in this flowing expanse because below my feet my soul holds me up. Rio abajo Rio. Strings from the clouds as my little blessing doesn’t mind being underwater as a tadpole. I will always protect him as the river grows, an older promise at this point that I wish others would bring to light. There’s no point in wishing for reassurance from the wolves. There’s no point in begging the water for anything. This is my own given gift or lesson among the fish and frogs and wet stones. My soul sings to keep him happy, our blood flows together, my body is too exhausted to fight, and the divine dance still carries me to a sunlit pool where everything in front of me is hidden in a beautiful mist.
Chou Maya 