The River by Lexie Wolf

Saturday night, we gathered for Songs of Devotion. The theme, uncannily, was water. We sang beautiful, uplifting songs from Brazil, Japan, the U.S.—in praise of water’s life-giving gifts. Water heal my body. Water heal my soul. In 75 minutes, we created a whole world together—hearts swelling and breaking at once. In the background, there was Texas. Sheila acknowledged the disaster as we began, noting that this theme had long been planned. It lived there quietly alongside the music. Even in celebration, there was grief.

Everything has its shadow. She creates. She destroys. We create. We destroy.