What Remains
River flows through
unending, swift, changeless
everchanging. Currents shift
the meandering course.
Near the edges
back flowing eddies spiral
like dreams;
memories dance and sing
in the vortex.
Burbling songs of the stream
get lost in the roar
onrushing on
downstream.
Sunlight stays on the surface
where bubbles rush away.
Reeds by the shore unmoved
yet sway. Drinking deep
chills my lips.
I glimpse my reflection
as I pull away.
You always show me myself,
but never taste the same
twice. Each time
I enter you
I am changed
as you change;
love flowing on
remains.
-Joshua Putnam
(11/21/93)