I return to my favorite place along the river
Sitting on the grass in the cool shade of a tree
Watching, listening, being…
An old philosopher said
“You can never go to the same river twice.”
I wonder—
What changes
What stays the same
And what exactly is a river?
The water, the banks, the flow…
This river has a modest beginning
A source far away in the high places
Creeks and streams and other rivers join this river
Along its journey across the needy land
As it learns to sing its song
While giving itself away
To every thing that thirsts
Eventually this river will end
When its mouth kisses the ocean
And sings its song forever
Amongst all the rivers of the world
In the symphony of life
Today is yesterday’s future
Today is tomorrow’s past
This present moment is a river
Presence flowing yet ever still
There is only one present moment
You can never be in the same now twice
I haven’t changed
But I know I’m not the same
I wonder what changes
What stays the same
And what exactly is being?
I am a river
My being flows
You can never meet the same me twice
And yet…it’s still me