It matters until it don’t: this is what the river teaches.
Seasons sink or sail like all the old paddleboats do,
either a series of procedures or a postcard
the kind one sends
addressed in a grandmother’s perfect cursive
a message from some years past actual rememberance.
These matters taken lightly or not
decisions based on cents on the dollar
this is the story of America, so held
as a series of limited mint quarters
as collectable stamps too precious
for underused correspondence.