under the bluewhite sky of this dream
i am knee-deep in water, a river whose water is nearly still, and warm as my skin
bent over, hands in the the murk, searching for weeds to eat
hungry in a hungry world
and so tired
when the canoe with the baby in it goes by
all heads turn to watch it pass
wet, muddy hands clap
i lay my head back between my shoulders and laugh soap-bubbles up into the air
wavering rainbows of sound-made-color
that lay ripples on the world in shimmering rings
like prayers made visible
they radiate across the sky and the people and the baby and the brown water
they speed the canoe along-
the world will live