when does a river receive sanction?
get approval on its plans and plankton?
will it fail to fill what was not discussed
at the pre-flow conference?
I think it must
shall we pour ourselves forth and sea
to shining sea?

or does a river somehow know its nature
as it behaves moment to moment
picking up the possible without its nomenclature
to knit the over-sized sweater
of un-remembered time?

what is it all for? the weaving river asks
is it only that we may pose this question
is it for nothing more?
or is it that we might answer it however we can
over and over and over again

to build great excursions of form and fancy
bending and narrowing, falling into
convincing ourselves that each outfit
each identity, each image
is truer, truest, truth or true
is this what we're all supposed to do?