The River's Mood 

Steeped in the mythic heritage of the
country whose solitudes it bisects
the river is broad and deep stretching
into the heartland of the nation. Its
surface is glazed still with surface ice
under the steely gaze of an aluminum
tinged sky echoing the white landscape
below shimmering through the all
encompassing ice fog that obscures
details. Beyond the river on either side
lie two versions of history, two cultures
two languages and two adversarial
opinions. Like the river's ice-bound
surface all is serene on the exterior yet
the facade, like areas of the ice, has its
cracks. Moods run dark like the icy
river areas evading freeze-up rippling
dark and sinuous up and around the
rapids unsettling the quiet exterior like
superficial peace that exists between
those disquieting cultures at constant
discreet opposition in a land of plenty
to be shared, its strength and beauty
displayed in prairies and forests, lakes
and mountains beyond peer from shores
stretching from east to west, north and
beyond, ocean to ocean to ocean.