mentoring: the river
as i listen
words like a river flow through us
long and thin like the rio grande
or long and wide like the mississippi
where breath’s secret hides its holy depth—
………………………….unknown and unmeasured . . .
sometimes the water stirs
………………………..lapping its banks with a quiet stutter . . .
………………………………..today the river shimmers
……………………….with a brief knowing of itself
as i sit with you
i, too, must listen to my own flow, my own stutter
……………………….lapping the banks of my own breath’s secret and holy depth
Sister Lou Ella Hickman’s poems have appeared in numerous magazines and journals as well as three anthologies. She was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2017. Her first book of poetry entitled she: robed and wordless was published in 2015. (Press 53)