Orinoco Blues
Mothering is easy as swimming upstream in a river that never ends.
Since my water broke, the babbling water has all but broken me.
We are blue
And fighting
Fighting
like
Swimming
as if kicking waves
I swim downstream
to catch her upstream, she
flails
upstream
to spite and smite me
We are fighting
like swimming
Swimming
as if kicking
and hitting
water
swimming
and
fighting
kicking
with all
our hands and feet
Let me say
Let me say
reach
reach
only me
say
say
Mommy Mommy teach
only me
reach
reach
only me
see me
No
No
Again
Again
No
No
No
No
I said No No
again
again
No No
I’m going away
I’m going away
I’m going away
From the very first
I allowed
but then you
and if you
to the very very true
to the very very you
from the look or see
again
again
again
again
again
again
No
No
Please
clean it up clean it up
pick it up pick it up
turn it down turn it down
up up up
away away away
away away away
Stay near
don’t you dare
go away away
away
From the first I stood my ground and we were going to then see
and this scene you astound and it is not this philosophy
Mommy Mommy
carry me
carry me
carry me
to the shore I broke my knee
Mommy Mommy Mommy
carry me
I think I’m going to bleed
carry me
on your back
between your shoulderblades
carry me
to the
we can say say
say say
I’m going away
I’m going away
These are the good years
The years of loving
These are the good years
when the stomping and the pouting and the flouncing away
sound like the same water
singing
