Flow
Carried in a current
barely perceptible
beneath the ice,
yet beyond the limits
of these banks,
my thoughts flow.
Wider waters await,
as near as the next thought.
This poem is my response to Reena’s Exploration Challenge #173,
where the prompt is Flow.
Our recent subfreezing temperatures means local streams will be iced over and that I’ll have to paddle on the Missouri or the Osage River if I want to fulfill my ritual of a monthly kayak venture. Sunny and 56ºF is predicted for next Tuesday, so I’ll plan for a paddle on the Osage, which has a much milder current than the Missouri.
The Missouri River is currently witnessing a rare occurrence. Five miles upstream from Jefferson City, MO, an ice jam has reduced the flow of the river, so that the channel depth (not the overall river depth) at Jefferson City is at or near zero.
Also shared with Open Link #284 – Live Again at dVerse ~ Poets Pub.
Images (18 February 2021)
The snow-covered Moreau River
~~
The Missouri River at Jefferson City, at half its normal width
with the State Capitol in the background
and
Chris & Jason with the U.S. Geological Service
preparing to measure the river’s depth
rivrvlogr 
This is beautifully worded! Good luck for the monthly kayak venture. I hope you are able to fulfill your ritual without any obstacles 🙂
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Thank you. 🙂 Fingers crossed!
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I do think part of you is always on the river. (K)
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I like to think so.
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I love that your thoughts flow beneath the ice … enjoyed seeing you today!
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Thanks, Helen. I enjoy those live sessions.
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“as near as the next thought,” is such a beautiful expression.
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Thank you, Reena. And I try to keep that in mind when faced with writer’s block.
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Reblogged this on Reena Saxena and commented:
Flow…. by rivrvlogr
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I love the feeling of anticipation in this poem, Ken. Spring is not far away and you can flow down the river in your kayak again.
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Thank you, Kim. I try to maintain that monthly paddle so I can post a catch-up video to Facebook for my distant children and my sisters. One year, the river was so ice-choked that I just stood on the shore holding my paddle while I talked to the camera. Another time, I sat in the kayak as it sat on my garage floor. They got a kick out of that.
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Thoughts flowing with the river–that’s lovely, and something I feel often, too. I hope you’re able to get your monthly kayak journey in.
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Thank you, Merril. The forecast still looks good, so fingers crossed.
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Up here in the woods, there’s nothin to paddle but puddles, and they’re all frozen solid, too. No matter, though, All my paddling, these days, is in my head; so I’m with you in spirit, Brother. Paddle on.
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Will do, Ron. Thanks. 🙂
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‘beyond the limits
of these banks,
my thoughts flow.’
I love this image of your thoughts as an overflowing river that cannot be contained.
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Thank you, Ingrid. Those are my favorite lines.
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Great poem Ken. No Kayaking for you on that river! That ice jamb is going to have quite a flow when it lets loose!
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They say it’s an ice bridge, with the water still flowing beneath it, but it’s still lowering the level here.
I’m used to seeing an ice bridge in the gorge right below Niagara Falls. Way back in the day – before the use of an ice-boom at the mouth of the Niagara River at Buffalo to reduce the ice flowing downstream – tourist stands would set up on the ice bridge in mid-winter. People would even cross into Canada across the ice! Finally saner minds prevailed and they curtailed that practice.
http://www.nflibrary.ca/nfplindex/show.asp?id=89584&b=1
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Great photo! Literally living on the edge!
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Beautiful.
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🙂 Thank you.
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Beautifully written!
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Thank you, Lucy. 🙂
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Pingback: Reena’s Xploration Challenge #174 – Reena Saxena
An expansive openness.
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And so we learn.
Thank you, Paul.
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My pleasure Ken.
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