Bethlehem Writers Roundtable 

From the River to the Lake

You suspect it’s over
that rush that happens
when you’re young 
and delighted to get naked. 

No more rapids 
to sweep you off the shore,
scraping your ankles and elbows
on the river bottom. 

The love you have now is more 
like a lake—warm and buoyant. 
You can go upside down anytime,
show your toes to an amused sky.

Or swim laps!  

Sometimes you don’t want to,
but the currents massage your tired body
and all that fast breathing 
brings you back alive. 

Any bruises or scrapes from the river
have long healed—or been forgiven. 
But sometimes, 
you find yourself greeting
the fast incoming tributaries 
with flickering fingers 
and open hands. 

What a ride that water has taken to reach you.
What a ride.  

— Ani Martin
(Published January 2025)