field observation, site 041°17'S 174°46'E, 14 january the river here does not cut through rock. it persuades it. daily. the banks are soft enough to accept revision. noted at 07:30: two forms converging at a bend—one angular, one fluid— neither yielding, both altered by proximity. noted at 12:00: a structure spans the channel. not a dam. a gate. the water passes through and is the same water, measured differently. noted at 15:00: cloud cover holds at 75%. the light is not withheld, only distributed more equitably across the floodplain. noted at 20:24: a single point of bioluminescence pulses at the river's mouth. something small, waiting to be released into the larger body. along both banks, partially obscured by sediment and tussock: four figures. they do not enter the water. they are the reason the water moves.