RIVER CALL 2

Lonely white boat juxtaposed, 

untainted souls like one of those-- 

against the blackened silt

on dirtied banks and sands 

and on houses' ebony stilts,

under familiar impeccable skies;

all waiting for the water's rise,

all hoping for fresher current,

for stronger gusts of wind and vent

to fan the slick and mud of stench; 

for the swifter flow and higher ebb

to cleanse their beds of sin.