Inspired by a sacred Ute prayer
River teach me change
as falling leaves decompose in the formless current
River teach me hope
as the source and end, both come from mountains
River teach me how to get lost
as two young lovers walk along your bank not needing to be found
River teach me how to savor the now
as the sun glistens on the scales of a snake bathing
River teach me how to manifest what I want
as the immortality of your course is guided by creation
River teach me how to accept
as the chaotic swirling foams cover and pull all beings asunder
River teach me how to live without fear
as the salmon do when they breach the surface of a bear’s claw
River teach me how to listen
as the empty space of the blackest ice is ancient and unborn
River teach me how to close my eyes and see
a force eternally moving when I am not looking
River teach me how to understand
as the memory of geese returning from their far off flights
River teach me how to believe in myself
as a beaver does when they forgo their fragile homes of sticks and mud
River teach me how to do nothing
as a heron wading, full of hidden knowledge, instantly unleashed
River teach me God
as there is nothing false about the opinion of creatures who need you to survive
George Cassidy Payne is a poet from Rochester, NY. His work has been included in such publications as the Hazmat Review, Moria Poetry Journal, Chronogram Journal, Ampersand Literary Review, The Angle at St. John Fisher College, and 3:16 Journal. George’s blogs, essays and letters have appeared in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Havana Times, South China Morning Post, The Buffalo News, and more.
See all his poems on Tea House here.
