i went kayaking today down the nehalem river,
seduced by yesterday's premature warmth
and the company of two fine women.
we put in at aldervale, sunshine on our backs
as we scooted and hitched
down the boat ramp into high tide.
dip glide dip glide dip glide
i imagined we looked like a painting,
part of a pastoral scene dotted with bovine and daffodils
until the pungent, "dairy~air" we're famous for
hit my nostils.
"entering the cow canal" chirped lindy.
i laughed.
"seriously." she said.
"we wouldn't want to swim in this part of the river.
all things cow make their way into these waters!"
all things cow.
which got me thinking about india and the river ganges.
about purification. about faith.
about how millions of people have stood side by side in the filthy water and walked away feeling cleansed.

this is my river.
where all things cow all things sacred all things possible flow.