My Heart is Like a Bend in the River – a poem by Chris Anderson

My Heart is Like a Bend in the River

My heart is like a bend in the river, 
and the dusty road that leads there is lined 
with razor wire, and signs in several languages 

warn of unexploded bombs.  My heart is like a bend 
in the river, and when you finally get there, 
the water runs muddy brown, and reeds and willows 

crowd the banks, and all around is desert, 
dry as bone.  My heart is like a bend in the river, 
where the water shallows and slows, 
and Jesus may have come, and knelt, and risen up, 

streaming, though there are other bends in the Jordan 
where he may have entered, too, and heard 
the Father’s voice, and seen the dove descending.  

We can never really say who we are. 
We all have a secret even we don’t know.

Chris Anderson is an emeritus professor of English at Oregon State University and a Catholic deacon. He is the author of a number of books, most recently a book of poems, LOVE CALLS US HERE, published by Wildhouse Publishing in Boston.