Today, I walked along the river
Beside the Blackberry bushes
I plucked from all last summer
Berries that held my eye then
Shrink as they are traded for fall
Or left in place to feed the insects
Garden spiders craft morning webs
Above the yellowing summer canes
Stringing their autumn webs tight
between the bare branches of trees
Cottonwood, Alder and Willows
Grow silent along the riverbank
Contemplating their past summer
Or pondering fall’s coming color
While fat spiders spin silver webs
Perfect love for the morning sun
Rising behind fog over Blue River
Where each berry ripened its life
And held its story within its taste
The morning birds sang free
As they ran beside the river
Stop looking so you can see
Stop seeking so you can feel
And the world opened itself
As I walked along the river
I saw everything that was
The water making the river
Was unique – small particles
Never to be together again
Laughed with its bright joy
Trusting the river forever
To turn back toward life
As fall colors float away
