Downstream

The river is lush and lined
with trees and foxgloves; a
bright blue dragonfly hovers
over my head. I float on my
back, hearing nothing but the
plop of a fish from a nearby
clump of water lilies. I’m in a
world of green, from the
vivid grassy banks to the
water itself. The great thing
about a river is that you don’t
know what you will see next,
but as I turn a corner I am
face to face with my worst