24 May 2026

By Philip Kuepper

‘I? Row?
No. Not today.
Today I am
just going to lie back,
and let others row.
I am just going to close
my eyes and let myself float.
I am not going to feel the boat
beneath me, or even
the river beneath it.
I am going to let myself go,
and become.
I am tired of just being.
I want to become
more than I am,
more than just myself,
more than just a rower.
I want to row
out of myself,
out of the boat,
out of on,
or off, the river.
I want to row
to the next level,
where I become
rowing itself.’

(15 May 2026)