The river

the river,
moving slow
as if' 'twere a torpid snake
too full to flow fast,
dull green
lying almost dormant,
pregnant now
in the glut of spring rains,
so swollen
it has burst its banks
and slipped
into farmers fields,
where in the far corners
cattle stand and stare
in dumb puzzlement
at the insidious rise of the river.

Little Cypress River
Near Harleton, Texas
1990