Elliot wrote this poem while reflecting on love on the banks of the Saskatchewan river. The author feels that human connection is a funny little riddle, especially in the context of the impersonal ebbs and flows of the natural processes that surround us. He hopes you feel as confused as he does when you read this poem.
Reflection on Bittersweet Memories from the Banks of the Saskatchewan River
to lay with a lover,
languishing as the morning sun creeps into the sky
Skin brushing skin
sweet nothings floating in the air, over our heads
like lazy sparrows warming themselves
only to fly away through the open door
The moments we carved out have no measure,
in the same way that a river does not care to remember how long it has run through its banks
Clay and stone are rendered as it cuts its course towards the sea
Sorrow is not misplaced at its passing, perhaps
the birdsong is not bitter because it is short
and it will happen over and over and over again
and everytime it will feel like the springtime
a gentle touch soothes and the old course is forgotten
in the same way that the mycelium bodies
fruit from the empty forest floor; their roots often forgotten
to lay with a lover,
languishing as the morning sun creeps into the sky
This piece is part of the in medias res March 2021 “Love” Issue. You can read the full issue under the tag “March 2021.”
Image by Ashlynn Hill.