KATHLEEN JONES

RIVER RISING

From the window
the weir's constant conversation
has vanished -
levelled
by a brown silence.

We watch the water push
its way around the mill hous
dangerous and unexpected.
Measure its rise
step over step
towards the door.

We rescue carpets
stack sandbags. Decide
what we most value.

Gently it laps across
the flagstones, casually
exploring cupboards, cellars
boot-deep. Then -
a thud, a surge; the force
that drove the mill wheels powers
through windows and doors.

From the safe stairs' island
we fish floating furniture
with a broom. All our geography
is different - now we are
part of the river's narrative.

It rushes through rooms,
every window's view;
everything is river.

Beyond the gaping doors
a street lamp blooms
yellow in a brown sea.


© Kathleen Jones