the river flowed
an endless loop of the same stream
the bend remained but was another
it flowed through the kitchen, up into the skies
flowed through the eyes
through pens and onto paper
it flowed through mothers and from there to children
it flowed into the mausoleums into the dead and the dead people flooded
it flowed into sinks, into thermos flasks, into gloves, onto bridges
flowed into schools, into streets, into jars, into roots, into fruits, into rain, into heather, into acres,
into thoughts, into winds, into burrows, into leopards
it flowed into the wristwatches
and the watches burst the time
then holes formed in the people
and the holes filled with sugardusk
for many days
for many days the people fed on sugardusk
whimpering sugardusk
and forgot the river that flowed
they sat in the holes and began to mourn time
that burst
they caked themselves in sugardusk
and the sugardusk was sweet
whimperingly sweet
the people cried in the sugardusk
not good tears that heal
like the water in the river
but tears that swell wounds
and then the holes grew
finally the holes became large swimming pools
inside the people
there the people swam
long days and long nights
in swimming pools of sugardusk
someone shouted hurrah
someone shouted help
someone whistled
the whistle called to birds
and the birds kept the river in their claws
again the river flowed through the people
it flowed through the ice and the nails
it flowed through moss
through pets
it flowed into soles and up into knees and from there into hips
flowed into the lungs and throat and hands and fingers
it flowed through the fingers
and through palms
and from there into other people