The Flowing River

There in the water I stand,
The current flowing swiftly by,
Not knowing which way to go,
I go with the flow.

There the current surrounds me,
Gently pulling me in its ebb and flow,
I am oblivious to the movement,
Lost in the current.

Time passes by and I float,
The water rises and falls as I float by,
The current takes me through time,
And I am blind to it all.

There life goes floating by,
Nutrients and junk gliding side by side,
Moving down the river of complacency,
Trying my best to tread lightly.

When am I going to stand?
To dig my feet into that life-giving sand?
To brace myself against the current,
To stand up and live.

I wrote this poem after swimming in the Bhramaputra River in Mymensingh with other expats, and then following a powerful prayer at Taize that previous evening. Change is a scary thing, but so is complacency. Ignorance, living without thinking, living without understanding what we are doing or why. Habits are scary, and we rarely think about them long enough to understand our habits. But habits can lose their meaning. The power of prayer can become habit, as I feel it has for me at times this year. The tough and grind of daily routine can become habit. To think about where we are, what we are doing, and why; to ground ourselves and stand up against the current of complacency and self-righteousness. To think of others, and their role in this creation, that is pro-life and pro-love. To stand up against the current of judgment and disapproval, and to see life as a river to be enjoyed; not to be lulled to sleep by the current. I hope to fight the current of complacency and ignorance, and to embrace the current of love and life. I hope to stand up and live.

Peace.
Steve.