A Poem - Kishacoquillas

This is a poem I wrote quite a while back for someone I once knew. It was based on a dream that I awoke from late one night. I picked up a notebook and wrote it on the spot. "Kishacoquillas" is the name of a creek, a tributary to the Juniata River, that runs through Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. The name is a Lenni Lenape phrase meaning "snakes in their dens." There's a certain spot along that creek in near the town of Burnham that this poem is based on.

Kishacoquillas

We stand alone among the stones,
Just you and I together.
The swollen creek flows on before us
To a watery blue forever.

We take apart the rocky bank,
Taking it stone by stone,
And toss it all into the creek
As we stand together alone.

No one else is watching us
As we stand on the stony shore.
The only thing we have is each other,
And could we ask for anything more?

Not a word is spoken between us
As we stand side by side.
We skip the stones across the water
And sink them in the tide.

And in this heavenly dreamscape,
Not a thing makes a sound,
Nothing but the flowing creek

And the smooth stones we've found.

How long could we stand here, my friend?
Could we ever be dissevered?
But if we ever left, I pray
I'll only be remembered.

How calm we are as we stand alone.
Sometimes after a while,
With a stone in my hand and care in my eye
I give you a gentle smile.

Any troubles that we've had before,
All have been forgotten.
And as we stand alone by this creek,
"The snakes are all in their den."

I see your beautiful face
As you raise another rock,
And as you smile, my spirits rise
Like thundering waters at a lock.

Where will we go on from here?
Will we leave our special place?
Should the waters ever drive us out,
Remember me just in case.

Should life ever break us down,
And time eternal kill us,
I'll wait for you on the stony banks
Of our cold Kishacoquillas.