Will it circle the Earth and return? This water, West Virginian for the moment, is going somewhere so important; it won’t even sit still behind our makeshift dams. It slips around the sides and through the tiniest of openings. It gathers its strength and jumps over the top. Sometimes it is refreshed by a torrent of water angels. Although frustrating, I respect its determination and admire the way it divides the valley with a line of its own. It also connects Midway, the section I live in, to every other place. I dream of standing barefoot in its source and just listening. Images filtered through others are no longer satisfying. I want to absorb Asia today, Australia tomorrow and Africa the day after. There is so much more on the other side of the same creek. The Baptist Church, Tipton’s Place, Trogden’s Grocery, Ola Mae’s house, snake handler’s church and post office all stand and testify. I stare curiously until the creek’s calling settles upon me like mist upon itself.
Come with! The voice of many waters sent me!If the buffalo had leapt into the air, it could have eluded the native who followed it years ago. Man and beast could have escaped the newcomer. The creek absorbs all their souls. They wish to remain in the world above the water to direct their descendants firsthand, but must use liquid hands instead.These spirits hold their breaths as they feel the familiar rhythm of running. Desire builds. A flash at the bank rises gracefully. They launch themselves, but are covered with a thickness of water. A cushiony breeze keeps me afloat — maybe I’ll end up wherever stars do that jump across the sky — but like traces of whispered secrets, it evaporates.As soon as I land, momentum returns to running. I pass the slate dump, go by the spot where the train trestle once stood, through Sandy Bottom, past Man Junior High School and continue beyond the stoplight and the point where Buffalo Creek travels with its companion, the Guyandotte River. The river, road, train tracks and I bend gently along the Three Mile Curve, then part ways.The relentless rush of adrenaline pounds like drumbeats deep inside the Congo. It is the sound of men chasing buffaloes and of men chasing men. Spirits rise like majestic mountains. Even though I can’t see the other side, I am relaxed. A wave in the distance shatters into pieces of starlight just as another forms beneath me.
Come with! Just remember. Sometimes, jump!