Following Rivers

They say that honey heals the body
They say that music can soothe the soul
I've learned the heart has reasons

That reason can not know

River runs by my window
River runs by my door
River runs so sweet

Might never roam no more

Those are lyrics to a Tom Rush song, River Song, that I happen to love.  The fact that he dedicated it in concert to Pete one time notwithstanding, I have always been compelled by the simplicity of the lyrics.  Like the simplicity . . . and complexity . . . of a river.

There are hundreds of songs written about rivers.  Go ahead, think about it for five minutes and you should come up with at least a dozen.  What, exactly, do the rivers say to us?

Still in Vermont today, Jenna and I drove along the Connecticut River up to Putney and then to Bellows Falls.  The Connecticut River separates Vermont from New Hampshire.  (And as many New Hampshire people told us, so does a state sales tax.) 

We also drove along the West River, which runs along VT Rt. 30, the road that Jenna will be living on.  Although Jenna has always lived near a river, in particular, the Delaware River here at home, she will now have the West River pretty much in her back yard.  I am happy about this.

Driving along VT Rt. 30, one is almost always in view of the river and its rocks.  You might know me well enough to know that I love rocks.  It is all I can do to resist climbing down the riverbank to retrieve some rocks to bring home and place somewhere on my property  But the rocks belong to the river, and I will leave them there.

Returning home this afternoon, we traveled through southern Vermont along Rt. 9.  So did the Whetstone Brook.  And driving down the New York State Thruway, the Hudson River stayed with us.  It occurred to me that we'd been following rivers for two days. 

I don't know where that river roams
But she goes around the bend

Just might roll around the great wide world
Come on home again

There are many things to follow in this life.  I'll choose the rivers.