journeying to a place of power

where once the mighty Columbia thundered

for ten thousand years in this sacred gathering space

blessing all tribes with life abundant

sustaining a path of harmony

~

in the blink of an eye, the waters were stilled

when a dam was built fifty – eight years ago today

we come together to write the new story,

a tale of redemption, healing and hope

~

may we re-member our grandmother’s roar

at the confluence of the river’s shore

flowing together evermore

~

traveling like salmon today, wending through the river into the confluence of past, present and future… hearing about the original people inhabiting this earth for thousands of years, learning of the lost sounds of the falling waters still echoing today in the hearts of the w’yam who are on a mission to restore beauty, blessing the seven generations…