I am the river

stretched out
alone
in the dark
of a moonless night

I am
the river
flowing in my bag
between the rocks
of these thin tent walls
my slow breathing
the current flowing
through my body

my river ears listen
to the sounds
beyond my banks
the snake rustling
under the sagebrush
the wind through
the row of black hawthornes
along the creek
the sound of
the moon rising
of the stars singing
through the mesh

breathing like this
I am going
downstream

slipping
into sleep