Opus Effloresco (River Sermon)

Come Down To The River

Since original sin got all chopped up, She is risen indeed.

Luna moth came with her big purple eye Just when I believed her extinct.

Come down to the river, you wouldn't believe, The orchestral burgeoning baritone and tenor.

Methuselah's rings tell of pyramids and crucifixions. Climaxed pine, wind's evergreen lover, Broken, raped and amber bled, FEMA marked and tagged, Remembers her kingdom -- "plantae pinophyta pinopsida pinales pinaceae pinus..."

Come down to the river. Where the yellow-crosses sprout Bundles of needles crowning gold. Risen indeed.

Beethoven is better off deaf to hear The choir alleluia trees from all Faiths gathered.

No number of human pipes could spell this out. Buzzed, flip-flopping sunfish, river turtle flaps against the current, Heron, grey and white, shuffle the air like a Blue Angel trumpeting.

A reunion of sparrow chatter it up. Hummingbird wets his whistle On the volunteer honey Suckling the explosion of vine.

Ropes of jungle wood hang, Unravel like busy backstage hands, The show is truly going on.

Leaves curly cue around Magnolia, Then gravies over wild privet. Flora volunteer en masse, Gardenia bushes nurse in thick bamboo's shade.

Come down to the river, I tell ya. Chucklin', the sun just peeks through, smilin' like - "told you so..." What? You drop into the ocean so peaceful like sayin' That's how we shoulda done it? And he just keeps rollin'. Be back tomorrow, like regular. Slow poke.

In three days, 553 magnolias are gonna crack open in the night Like a baby crownin'. Stretch her white wings like the goddess Herself, Sayin' this is how a woman opens. Get it?

Come down to the river now, The lightning bugs improvise. Never had so many places to hide And seek.

Grandpa cypress - he's seen it all- Well, he shows his knees comin' down the stream, Like countin' grandchildren After the storm. Of course they didn't drown. Smart asses.

Jesus Christ! Nature knows. What else.

Photosynthesis as generous as Bacchus on 12th night. Every note of green scrambling down to the river.

Hell.

Even Willow tree's got the scoop. Bending her hair, dropping her tears to the creek - The buck stops here. She's learned not to depend on the kindness of strangers. That's something her mama did.

And there it is. Folks sit back. A New World.

I'm stuttering. A cacophony choir of survivors, Ringin' home the babies, From anywhere. So loud you wanna cuss, Holy Mother!

'Cuz after Katrina dragged through Sluggin' up every rooted dirty mouth She could grab - Doesn't matter what we say now. Our mouths are clean.

Halleluiah! The ancient oaks arms are swingin'.

Halleluiah down to the river.

There's a sermon going on You've never heard before.

April 28, 2007 Miriam (Mimi) Gauthier