Participation Mystique Poem by Adryan Barnathan

Born from a language
too pure to survive sound
her name ''permeates''
patience and grace
emerging out of clear
cool waterbeds
she rises
bathed in the glow
of the rivers light-
black eyes
sharpening the air
makes even cicadas
fall silent
against motions of energy
that test strength and resilience
while enduring
the most turbulent storms
she ''lets go'' of
what does not work
allowing
the ''voice within''
to steer
giving the river
what ''it'' needs
to run smoothly