Neuquén

In the bend of the river
fireflies
stealthy navigation
adrift -you and I-
in yesterday’s whirlpools.

Numbed by shadowy depths
in shared memories
we’ll scatter
secrets and agonies
over arcane backwaters
over which we lean.

River of my childhood
Neuquén.

In the bend of the river
dragonflies
sailing the unknown
on ripples of unsung melodies
for the sensual ear.

Maybe
we’ll caress the sky
mirrored by shafts of light
on yonder pool.

River of my childhood,
Neuquén.

Neuquén = Mapuche name of a Patagonian river, signifying “that which can be seen below”. Also: “impetuous, impertinent, grasping”.
Mapuche: Earth People. Some of the original dwellers of Argentine Patagonia.

Sylvia Evelyn, Buenos Aires, 2013. All rights reserved.