THE WATERS OF MARCH
Today I sat on the riverbank and listened to aguas de marco. It is full blown spring in my corner of the world. A wee garter snake curled up beside me and we listened together, The spring sun warmed our skin. Yellow skunk cabbage bloomed in the river. Pond frogs sang.A stick, a stone, it's the end of the roadIt's the rest of a stump, it's a little aloneIt's a sliver of glass, it is life, it's the sunIt is night, it is death, it's a trap, it's a gunThe oak when it blooms, a fox in the brushA knot in the wood, the song of a thrushThe wood of the wind, a cliff, a fallA scratch, a lump, it is nothing at allIt's the wind blowing free, it's the end of the slopeIt's a beam, it's a void, it's a hunch, it's a hopeAnd the river bank talks of the waters of MarchIt's the end of the strain, it's the joy in your heartThe foot, the ground, the flesh and the boneThe beat of the road, a slingshot's stoneA fish, a flash, a silvery glowA fight, a bet, the flange of a bowThe bed of the well, the end of the lineThe dismay in the face, it's a loss, it's a findA spear, a spike, a point, a nailA drip, a drop, the end of the taleA truckload of bricks in the soft morning lightThe sound of a gun in the dead of the nightA mile, a must, a thrust, a bump,It's a girl, it's a rhyme, it's a cold, it's the mumpsThe plan of the house, the body in bedAnd the car that got stuck, it's the mud, it's the mudA float, a drift, a flight, a wingA hank, a quail, the promise of springAnd the river bank talks of the waters of MarchIt's the promise of life, it's the joy in your heartA snake, a stick, it is John, it is JoeIt's a thorn on your hand and a cut in your toeA point, a grain, a bee, a biteA blink, a buzzard, a sudden stroke of nightA pin, a needle, a sting, a painA snail, a riddle, a wasp or a stainA pass in the mountains, a horse and a muleIn the distance the shelves rode three shadows of blueAnd the river bank talks of the waters of MarchIt's the promise of life in your heart, in your heartA stick, a stone, the end of the roadThe rest of a stump, a lonesome roadA sliver of glass, a life, the sunA knife, a death, the end of the runAnd the river bank talks of the waters of MarchIt's the end of all strain, it's the joy in your heart— CARLOS ANTONIO JOBIMHere it is . . .the whole ten verses of this, my favourite Jobim song and in fact at the top of my all time hit parade. Originally written in Spanish of courseIt’s just so juicy. Life IS messy. It hurts sometimes. It’s dark. It’s light. “A thorn in your hand and a cut in your toe’. But despite it all it’s the promise of life and the joy in your heart.The yin and yang of life is so captured in these simple lyrics that each time I hear it, it enraptures me all over again. So I thought that with humanity hurting so much right now, it would be a sweet thing to share.It’s the end of all strain. It’s the joy in your heart.
That was awesome mom (and I always thought it was Simon & Garfunkle).
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