(flowing acoustic guitar with river ambience, soft percussion, breeze through willow branches) Verse 1 The river still remembers Every season passing through Winter rain and thawing branches Silver mornings washed in blue Willow leaves trail soft beside it Green returning to the shore And every weary wandering thing Finds calmer waters near once more Chorus The river still remembers Though the current carries on Warm days beneath the willow tree And all the places sorrow’s gone Soft light Bare feet The earth breathing after rain There is healing in the flowing things That return again and again Verse 2 A fishing line drifts slow in silence Lavender carried on the breeze The old house watches from the hillside Smoke curling gently through the trees No need to hold the hurting tightly No need to fear what changes shape Even rivers smooth rough stone By touching it softly every day Bridge Some forms of healing are not sudden Only steady enough to slowly reshape the heart Final Chorus So let the river carry moonlight Let the green rise wild and free The world still offers quiet mercies To every aching living thing And though the water never lingers Its kindness still remains The river still remembers And returns renewed again Ending (layered humming with river water, birds, and soft bells fading warmly) Mmmmm… Flow gently… Mmmmm…
