<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Ask the River</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Ask the river</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">And she murmurs a gliding dance</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class="">Deep in the cup of me</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class="">Luminescent specter</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class=""> ancient sturgeon</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class=""> steeping in my muck</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class="">Big as a door to the mystery….</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Ask the river</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">And she surges passion’s pulse</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class="">Urgency full</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class="">Salmon crimson </i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class=""> leap and drive to spawn </i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class=""> path inscribed on bones within</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class="">Never asking why….</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Ask the river</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">And she speaks rapids</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class="">Soil and rock shapes me</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class=""> fallen leaf defines my skin</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class=""> until I fling myself </i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class=""> off the edge of the world</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class="">So each drop of me is </i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class=""> separate, its own</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class="">And inhales the unknown….</i></p><div style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""> <br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Ask the river</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">And she reflects</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class="">Out of aquifer </i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class=""> the mouth your mother</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class=""> spilled you long ago</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class=""> then new stream</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class=""> wet with purpose</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class=""> always ocean bound</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><i class="">Now nearly there….</i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">Ask the river</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></p><div style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""> <br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Sashana Kane Proctor</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 22px;" class=""><br class=""></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class="">”Ask the River” is the title of a CD by Rachel Portman*</p><div class=""><br class=""></div></div></body></html>