The Women Singing

The women singing
covered me with a quilt of harmony.
The Swannanoa River
skipped shallow over rocks,
bopping a fairy rhythm.
The ground under the oak tree
graciously took my weight–
Gladly I gave myself away.
On this bed of contentment,
I rested from thoughts,
from oughts, from plannings.

The women singing their cherished songs
penetrated the shield of my skin.
The women singing
came into my body like rainbow air
carried by my blood
to the edges of my skin.
The women singing
turned me into a shimmer of water.
Dissolved into earth like a rain of light,
I lay in the afternoon grass,
and I was nowhere else.

©Susa Silvermarie 2015

Susa and Annelinde blessing the Swannanoa River

The poem’s backstory is that the call went out from Annelinde Metzner, Choir Director Extraordinaire:

“Re: our yearly concert, Blessings on the River: I have the Friends Meeting House in Black Mountain reserved for the afternoon of August 22nd. I am not up to giving a full-fledged concert, so let’s call this a party! Past and present members of Sahara Peace Choir, and your friends and relatives, choose a Sahara song or two which you would like to have fun singing. I’ve got lots of copies, and can bring my keyboard. Part of the afternoon will be to go down to the beautiful Swannanoa River and cast popcorn on the waters, to bless and envision pure and abundant water everywhere.”

And the call was answered by some 25 of us this past Saturday. We sang our hearts out for hours, we shared the abundance of healthy food, and we blessed each other and the waters with much love.  After the water blessing, I chose to lie down outside, to experience the blending of the voices as another blessing. No one wanted to go home, so the women sang some more, and we ended the afternoon in an exuberant dance!