Still Waters Poem by Laurence Overmire

When you dig beneath the surface of people
It seems
Each individual has a little bit to offer
A spring of self to be tapped
On his or her own limited terms.

Insofar as your needs and wants
Coincide
There may be
A merging of like tributaries
Flowing in the same direction.

But only one or two
If you’re lucky
Will open the deepest channels of
Themselves
Stay the course through the
Rapids that treacherously lie in wait
The blast of stone and spray
A lifetime commitment
To see the end and the beginning
The return of the rain to the cloud in the sky
The vastness of an ocean
Serene in the wave and drift
...of time.


(Previously published in Shadyvale, Summer 2000)