She does not run.
She wends at her leisure
silver-bellied through the valley,
a great serpent slipping between
sand and stone,
wearing the mountains
like ancient jewels.
She has been here longer than names.
She knows the thirst of cottonwood,
the secret paths of salmon,
the soft-footed creatures
who come trembling to her edge
and lower their heads to drink.
To them, she is Mother.
She carries snowmelt in her veins,
holds the sky upon her back,
coaxes green from dust
with one cool touch.
But do not mistake
her beauty for complacency.
She remembers the language of storms.
She can rise in the darkness,
uncoil herself across the land,
take trees by their roots
and stone houses from their foundations.
She can cradle.
She can cleanse.
She can kill.
And afterward
she will grow quiet again,
smooth as blue glass beneath the sun,
as though she hadn't wakened.
That is her magic.
The River Goddess asks for no worship,
only reverence.
Come close.
Drink deeply.
Lay your burdens at her shore.
But remember
every goddess who gives life
also knows how to take it.
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About the Creator
S.E.Linn
S. E. Linn is an award-winning, Canadian author whose works span creative fiction, non fiction, travel guides, children's literature, adult colouring books, and cookbooks...each infused with humor, heart, and real-world wisdom.
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