Spring Flood Bound

I don't know why, but all day today I've been thinking of a day back in 1984. Between college and life I took a gap year living on 'Zen Mountain.' Spring brought three days of rain on top of a snow melt. Despite the wet, it was good to take a walk.
Maybe it's just the sense of the season. Time to move about again.


Spring Flood Bound

The Esopus wasn’t angry, just swollen,
Nor vengeful, just thrice it’s normal
  Height and speed

The usual blue or green timid waters
Now café au’ lait brown with
  Catskill mud 

And foam tumbling cascando,
Above the sound of rolling bowling stones
  Knock knock tumbling down the river chute

I sat upon the arch bridge beam, high
Above the waters running so heavy
  The river quaked tremors through the iron

A friend told me not to sit there,
"You’ll freak the neighbors,"
  I sat there anyway

Thinking I wanted to runaway, except
The stomach likes the food, my back the nightly cot,
  Where would I go anyway?

My thoughts ran as the flotsam on the foam,
Leaves leaving, sticks not sticking around,
  To whatever new home they were spring flood bound,

And two Beaver, holding to a bobbing trunk,
Wherein Spring Rageous Nature’d packed
  The all they’d need and never lack