Can You Turn? Poem by Nellie Isabelle Steward Cooper

Can you turn from the sword
that invites-please
'Hang upon me? '

Or shrink back from the
boasting pool that whispers
'Jump'

But I am afraid of blood which
makes me sick
Scalding water on tender skin-

It is terrible, terrible, terrible

Faith is useless here:
I tell you this, it is no illusion

The blood is real and so is the bubbling water

Look carefully:
Behind the road you trod;
rubbed out

Do you believe me?
Look at me!

'Speaking'

But you couldn't... trees they
Were too thick.. they went by
Chanting, chanting, chanting:
It's fineIt's fineIt's fine
Jump in, jump in, jump in -

But I'm already -splashing, splashing, splashing

Must I beat my way to the riverbank
to prove I'm wet

Outrage danced on my lips, that
Sputtered and danced

Can You Turn?

And around the bend came the
voices fainter and fainter
'the water - the water - the water
is fine
jump in- jump in - jump in-

And no more I was free! !
I dipped my hand in the water
And the drops ran out of
my fingers - the sun lit
into my throat-

What a wonderful, wonderful day
for knowing I thought

'What a wonderful, wonderful place for swimming'

I murmured
And it was true: the water
was cream and silk

The sky was bright as disaster
Suppose they came back?
Suppose they came back!
Was the mutter that crinkled the
edges of being

But the water smoothed in
over the sunshine

'False Friends' - ''Deceitful Loves'
Who has not known these
the world over?

Does it then blot out the sun! ? !
And dry up the river?

Can You Turn?

Jump in, my dear, my dears
my dears-

The water is fine, it's fine, it's
fine
The water- the water- the water

The whisper is treading water
with no body
and not convinced -
But I will learn
I will Learn.... I will learn

Some day I may lead the
chanters myself

Yes it's well to have marching
feet and banners
Even with this

'The water is fine, jump in, '
they cried

Its fine, its fine, its fine
jump in- jump in- jump in

'But I'm already in, 'I screamed
'can't you see, can't you see,
can't you see? '