On Saturday, January 23rd, as part of the Forzen River film Festival, community members were asked to write down their most important thoughts or memories about Water. These were collected in a water bucket and Winona's Poet Laureate, Jim Armstrong, put them together into the following poem. In his words: "The poem is a 'word wall' (a deluge of words) which does not have line breaks - it's more like a torrent of words. A prose poem, if you will. It contains all the actual statements that people contributed, arranged in a somewhat thematic and dramatic order by me."

Deluge

Refreshing sustaining invigorating life whether it’s steam or water or ice it’s life
it’s a mode of conveyance that you can actually drink in a canoe you dip a cup and drink when you drive can you take a bite of the asphalt? I like to go boating and I like to paddle with a stick I remember when we went to the boundary waters early morning paddle water like glass creating two skies a plunge into a lake from great height the sound that engulfs/surrounds you the darkness too of course clear green/blue fresh flowing changing refreshing sparkling cold geysers shooting up at Yellowstone waterfall cascading over the falls at Yosemite river camping swimming and fishing on the mighty Mississippi waterscape of my dreams Sawtooth Mountains Alice Lake still waters trout nibbling the surface reflected stars ice harvesting in February near Ely Mn at Will Steger’s one year it was so warm the lake was knee deep with water as they harvested it the images threw me back in time as I watched the wilderness pond providing to the people harvesting with tools used 200 years ago the earth’s blood healing closing open wounds with trickling soothing sounds there are platypuses in it cellular organic nourishment the freeness and power of it standing here standing water still water swift water swoosh wash over me kayaking if this is a dream come true this is bliss this is bliss this is bliss in Wiscoy Valley upstream from the Champs d’Elysee flat limestone rocks the size of a table and rapids so you sit with a bottle of wine and a boy dangling your feet in the flow water is life! it surged through me to announce the impending birth of my daughters water is life! renewal rebirth refreshing sustaining invigorating life! day before a tropical storm or after water so friendly and floating pushing me down through powerful salt everywhere and in awe sweat perspire dehydrate cool drink on hot summer day sitting outside when it’s 100 degrees and drinking 80 degree water from the hose the fear/anticipation before swimming lessons at the YMCA induced by the smell of chlorine shower water on freshly shaved head and face early morning hot bath sunburn at Noah’s Ark submerged waist deep thinking I’ve just fallen in a hole then hearing the splashing and ripple of liquid against my legs realizing that this is the river, which is warmer than the cold air above frozen and wondering need to get out waiting cursing waiting worrying despairing buzz buzz far boat over here! dammit! freezing wind a brush with death a confirmation of life Water is Life it’s not just a resource like wind or sun it’s wisdom even a cup of it bears the traces of the interdependence that’s the central fact of a global world fluid free trippin’ life we swim in water, splash with water I like to drink it it’s healthy and we can play in water you could pretend you are water I love to go swimming in water I like to drink water water is fun midsummer night/ the first drop of/ a thunderstorm/leaves, leaves, /yet the sky finds it way in –/forest pool ocean depths what swims beneath? what leviathan? what promise of fish stories yet to be told? hydrogen hydroxide /pulled to a high tide /with stuff on the beach/ in ready reach /to be drawn into the sea on the downside I like to splash big splashes my best memory is swimming as a young kid so clear cool refreshing I thought we would never have to worry

about running out.