At the Origin of the Source, by Karen Neuberg

Exploring the Sources of the Orinoco River, by Remedios Varo (Mexico, b. Spain) 1959

At the Origin of the Source

Propelled by fins and wings, my egg-shaped boat glides upstream along the A Place to Paddle River until we reach the flooded forest. Birds peek out of knot holes, watching. They’re looking for a savior. I stop

at the hollow trunk, examine the pattern on its bark. My eyes travel up two steps, through a curved doorway, and into a small room. Though dim within, I see a modest goblet spilling water, water spouting and pouring in rivulets down the sides, onto the floor, across the distance to the door, and down the steps to be the river. The glass continues to fill and overflow. I reach

to remove it from the three-legged table, the kind my grandmother had in her parlor, hewn from some dark wood as though that was wood’s purpose. Even lifted, the chalice contents continue to rise and overflow. The origin of its source, itself. I want 
​to swim in it.

Karen Neuberg

Karen Neuberg writes poetry while drinking strong coffee in a room with windows overlooking trees. She has poems in numerous publications including Black Moon, Constellate Literary Journal, Nixes Mate Review, and Verse Daily and is he author of PURSUIT (Kelsay Books,) and the chapbook “the elephants are asking” (Glass Lyre Press). She is associate editor of First Literary Review-East and lives in Brooklyn, NY.