River of Light

A Conversation with Kabir

Morgan John

Surrender to a wild river and unexpected things can happen. Time on the water can produce moments of pristine clarity or hatch wild thoughts, foster a deep connection with the real world or summon the spiritual".River of Light: A Conversation with Kabir" is centered in one man's meditations and revelations while traveling on a river. John Morgan spent a week traveling the Copper River in Southcentral Alaska, and the resulting encounters form the heart of this book-length poem. The river's shifting landscape enriches the poem's meditative mood while currents shape the poem and the pacing of its lines. The mystic poet Kabir is Morgan's internal guide and serves as a divine foil through quiet stretches that bring to mind questions about war and human nature. Artwork by distinguished Alaska artist Kesler Woodward is a sublime companion to the text. A combination of adventurer's tale and spiritual quest, "River of Light: A Conversation with Kabir" takes the reader on a soulful journey that is both deeply personal and profoundly universal.

About the Author

John Morganhas published four books of poetry, most recently "Forms of Feeling: Poetry in Our Lives", and a collection of essays. He was the first writer-in-residence at Denali National Park. He lives in Fairbanks, Alaska, and Bellingham, Washington.

Reviews

"A journey by raft down the Copper River becomes the source of this meditative poem set in the Alaska wilderness and against the backdrop of the Iraq War. Kabir is the poet's interior companion, lively and loquacious, prodding him to acknowledge 'a past / that had lost its way' and a present in which personal loss and political deceit may be tempered with 'this shifty world's profane embrace'. Kabir says, 'This world... / springs / out of one word and everything / inside that word is full of light'. This poem by one of our finest poets draws upon such incandescent, creation-laden words to reveal the 'authentic wilderness' that flourishes within us and, yes, without us. 'River of Light' dazzles with the pure pleasure of its passage" – Michael Waters, author of "Gospel Night" and editor of "Contemporary American Poetry"

"I love the complexity of experience and voice in 'River of Light: A Conversation with Kabir'. So many layers here – the narrator's experiences on the river trip, Kabir's voice, other folks on the river trip, the war(s) close by and far away, and memories of other places and trips. Most impressive! The free verse lines are spot-on, capturing both the flow and the layering of the journey's breath-taking moments, interactions with others and the natural world, and those sometimes long stretches of time during which the mind wanders wonderfully" – Christianne Balk, author of "Bindweed and Desiring Flight"

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