Ode to a river

Paddling the Gila river has become an annual pilgrimage for us.   A ritual in which we immerse ourselves in this temple of wilderness.  This year the river is nearly dry.   There was not enough snow to bring the spring high waters. This piece is an ode to this wilderness, engulfed in years of drought, and the keeper of Earth’s secrets.  My heart breaks and tears come, drying before they hit the loom.