I Am A River

I do not stand still
I do not wait in a pool
I do not fall from the sky in pieces
I do not float vaporous as a revenant
I am not a current that flows along
in the vast ocean of humanity.

I am a river.

If I mystify you by the way I
bend and twist through the valley
grabbing and pulling at
that which interests me as I pass;
or by how I overflow my banks
pick up strays abandoned and
slip back into the drive forward—
at least you'll know I never linger.

I am a river.

I absorb feeders
graft wandering side-streams,
suck in the massive falling rush,
integrate collective trickles,

and gather loose junk 

as I course on by.

It might joggle your mind
to know I am enthralled with
making my bed in stones,
compelled to sing as I go,
ruing the day I empty myself

 

into passivity—
into the still memory of a placid sea

depositing my scraps and silt
in a grand estuary before
resting in the depths of a basin.

                          ~~ DE Navarro

This is a celebratory poem of being proud of who and what you are, the good and the bad (junk, scraps).

We all should be proud of who and what we are—comfortable in our own skins. Making a positive affirmation and being confident in self—but still understanding that you don't know everything and you are not perfect—is actually a powerful place to be in life.

Unfortunately this kind of confidence can at times be mistaken as arrogance by some who do not know that this strength of purpose is based in awe, wonder, willingness to learn, meekness, and humility.

Recognizing who you are and understanding its benefits and limitations is a great step forward in figuring out how to work with yourself to make yourself better.