The Canal

THE CANAL

Within the grey barrenness
Of man-made concrete walls
Confined and solitary, I flow.

At times, a vague stirring
Or dimly felt memories
Well up from some secret source.
Undefined visceral longings
Rise up, reach for, almost touch
The very edge of my consciousness.

Perhaps it is that a mellow rain
Has just begun to fall
A soothing intrusion of tiny droplets,
Minuscule evocations of sunny skies,
Fluffy clouds and feathered friends . . .

Or is it that the gentle breeze
Rippling over me pushes into my depth
Invading yet welcome waters
Risen from distant lakes and ponds?

Filled to the rim but not sated
At times tranquil, but never serene
I bless, I curse the walls, the gates
Which at once contain and secure me
Yet confine and limit me.

I have visions of mighty rivers
that roar from the highest peaks
And rush through verdant meadows
Renting the parched earth to bless it with life
Before reaching some distant ocean.

I have dreams, but are they dreams
Of being one with the liquid immensity
That stretches beyond the last horizon
Dreams that I could be
Or perhaps already am
That immensity.

Would that the powers that be
One day, soon, lift the gates
Let me gaze into the unfathomable . . .
Although reason whispers
That once I have ventured beyond
I may never be able to return
To the grey security of concrete walls.

Yet, the promptings are becoming insistent
To meld with the mighty rivers, the endless oceans
Venture forth on the ultimate journey
That will take me into infinity
To the totality of Me.