Follow the River to Freedom
Follow the River to Freedom
July 4, 2000
The hot sun above, dark cool water beneath. Millions of star lights twinkling on the surface in between. I am floating down the river. It’s the Fourth of July, a holiday, in America a day of independence. It happens to be a Tuesday, a day I’m normally at work. Today I’m not working, I’m floating down this river, drifting. Drifting. Drifting. Going with the flow. This river is taking me past large maples, white pines and willows weeping, past chattering kingfishers, calling crows, and a hawk that soars. Past sand islands, reflected clouds, and tall grass waving in the wind. I am on a journey.
This river, the Black River, flows into the Mississippi River, which flows into an ocean more than 1,000 miles away. This river takes its time getting to where it is going. It twists and turns, bends, and meanders. There is no hurry to its flow and for the moment I too am in no hurry to get to anywhere that I need to go. So I go with the flow, floating down the river. I drift along, pushed and pulled by the current. I paddle for a while. I keep going further down this river journey. Time fades away for a while. I think that maybe if I keep going I can connect with Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, and Jim the slave and we can follow the river to freedom. I can see us now. I would ask Huck, “How far is it to freedom?” and I would ask Tom, “How long will it take to get there?” Of Jim the slave I would ask the hardest question of all, “How will we know when we are free?” Oh, what adventures we would have. Oh, what a journey I am on. Drifting, floating, traveling. I know this river flows to freedom. I am getting closer. It won’t be long now, I can almost feel it. Perhaps I’ll find it just around the next bend. I close my eyes and follow the flow. I feel the hot sun and the gentle breeze. I listen to the music of water slowly moving. I open my eyes to the world around me. I look into the water. I see a face reflected in the imaginary world of reality. The face I see smiles at me. He looks happy to be floating on the river, happy to be so free.