Determined: Returning to Effort

Snags may come and go
But the river still flows,
Regardless of the trees that fall
And clutter up the stream,

Fishes shelter from the hot sun
Beneath the boughs
Or conceal themselves from predators
While the leafy green persists,

Until death and decay take them both,
Which is after all the direction we all take
No matter what we do,
So we might as well relax into the water,

Floating along as far as we can
Through the sparkling turbulence,
Down the waterfalls
And over the smooth stretches,

Cruising into the estuaries,
Beyond which the sea beckons,
Gliding over the waves
Or slipping below them to the sandy bottom,

Resting there for how long?
Or maybe simply dissolving
For who knows what duration?
Or how often;

Is there another shore
Upon which we climb?
Or is it really the end
Of our journey to which we are going?

Finally, I abandon these fruitless musings
And return to the glow of metta fires,
Embracing the happiness to which my heart aspires,
Leaving behind all doubts and desires.