The river was central to our lives; as she ran, so did we. In the summer she ran slowly; our children played in her shallows, and we were careful to use no more of her water than necessary. We planted our crops in the rich soil that the river relinquished to us; as summer slowly cooled into fall, we harvested and stored food for the colder months ahead.
The winter rains sent the water tumbling and rushing over her banks; we kept our children close and told them terrifying stories of her powers so that they would stay by our sides and shun the fascination of the raging current. We were not always successful; our stories had the bitter taste of truth to season them.
But every year, Spring would bring a gentleness to the river, and we worked beside her with respect, leaving the fear behind.
© 2007 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel
This bracelet is made from sterling silver and ocean jasper. Hand fabricated. 8 inches long, fits 6-7 inch wrists.
No comments:
Post a Comment