“To put your hands in a river is to feel the chords that bind the earth together.” (Barry López) If a river is both a disruption in the land and the chords that bind the earth together, than what is it that can do the same for two lives? Is it love? Promises? Commitments? The relationship, meaning connection, bond? Friends, meaning we like each other? Respect, trust? Love, definitely; sometimes front and center, and other times in the background, waiting patiently, but not silently, to be remembered. Not promises; easily misplaced when loving turns into living. Commitments easy to make, easier to break. Connection takes the right amount of torque; too loose, it’s wobbly, too much, it’ll break. Bond? How super is your glue? Friends, certainly, since the “always rule” doesn’t apply to like. Dislike and love can co-exist, but not so for disrespect and distrust. Love, like, trust, and respect; a four note chord, but a disruption? Even the best relationships aren’t seamless. If they’re allowed to flow, bend, swirl, and especially overflow like a river, this four note chord can bind all the various pieces of two lives together. Captured between two banks makes such a seam; parallel not required!
A Widow's Walk 