I went down to the river, I set down on the bank. I tried to think but couldn't, So I jumped in and sank. - Langston Hughes

Oh, God of Dust and Rainbows,
Help us to see
That without the dust the rainbow
Would not be.

I've known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the
flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln
went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy
bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I've known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love.

I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.