Algonquin
By Paul Lander
Constant and powerful, its rage pounds on the surface below
leaving a beard of white, only to quickly escape; to hitch a ride along the current weaving and bobbing around and over sticks and stones; foaming traces on white ripples that force their way back to the current; rushing underneath a trestle only to form more rage; pierced by a helpless branch sending the current here and there, foaming against the undertow, brave enough to flow through and rejoin the current before dissipating into a bubbly residue swirling to the serene edge,
almost stroked by weeping fingertips, settling along the fallen and forgotten; most, however, flowing to a calm, steady stream that empties into a pool, revealing the sandy underbottom littered
with twigs and stones and weeds; deepening the expansive reservoir
HVWP COMMONPLACE 31
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