River of Unknowns

 

courtesy of Pixabay

Once upon a shamanic dream,
I saw and traveled a sky river
it took me to a sanctuary of splendor
luscious greenery with hints of pines
cherry trees and roses in full bloom
birdsong filled the air,  bees and butterflies
waltzed in the magic of wildflowers...

I thought how had I arrived in this paradise
and in my heart the sky river meant beauty

Now, when I hear the words sky river, I think
atmospheric cloudburst with torrential rains
opening its mouth, flooding the most vulnerable
regions, battering the landscape with mudslides
streets filling with water, people evacuating
their homes with precious few belongings
in search of a sanctuary...

 I wonder if the sky river of my dreams
still exists or has the portal of time shifted
with prevailing winds.. . vanishing
in the eye of the storms

how do we sail or paddle these rivers
of increasing intensity...how do we find
our lost way home to paradise in a world
of layered unknowns..

do we build a community arc
to ride into the future...
pray for a miracle to see us through

written for earthweal
hosted by Brendan
write a poem inspired by the work of Jorie Graham

author's note:  This is based in part on
one of my dreams. I have been watching
the news regarding the atmospheric storms
that have been hammering the west coast...