i. diary of the explorers 

look please and enjoy this 
it is beyond your possible conceptions 
you cannot believe 
San Antonio boils in a rocky basin 
invaded by nymphs and naiads 
they dress themselves in deerskins 
(some go about naked) 
they dance the whole river dances  

occasionally they kill they eat 
spiders and the eggs of ants 
worms lizards salamanders 
snakes and vipers  

they save the bones 
beat them together 
eat the powder  

this spring is a historic spring 
in a field of many springs 

ii. council house fight, 30 comanche dead,
march 1840 

he saved the bones 
stewed the bodies in a soap-boiler 
emptied the cauldron into the river  

the women shrieked and cried 
they rolled up their eyes 
in horror they vomited 
they suffered miscarriage  

occasionally they kill they eat 
particles of indian in their fluid 

iii. letters of george brackenridge 

 
"this river is my child and it is dying and i cannot stay” 

 there was not enough water 
(there was abundant water had they been able to spread out but 
the hostile nymphs of the eighteenth century forced them to congregate  
in desperate mutual defense)  

“my child is dying by the sinking of many artesian wells” 

 no time for a natural birth he suffered miscarriage 
he opened the womb laid piped veins at the torn orifice 
 

“my child is dying they all say i have no remedy”  

the whole river gushes up in one sparkling burst 
even the delicate roots of the water lilies may be distinctly seen 
it is beyond your possible conceptions of a spring 

“this river is my child it is
dying by the sinking
of wells i cannot stay to
see they all say i have
no remedy i must go” 

iv. blue hole at the headwaters sanctuary 

 
found today:  
two sisters of charity talking 
one boy and one girl kissing 
one white waterbird stalking  

this spring is the mainspring 
in a field of many artesian springs 
there are thousands of small springs that seep 
during wet times and turn the ground green  

found at the beginning: 
several thousand arrowheads planted like seeds 
human remains and stone-chipping debris  

nobody knows where the river begins 
there is a dam and a creek and three 
points of confluence and of course 
thousands of springs  

this spring is the historic source spring 
(historic, adjective, famous or important in history) 
because the water has fled this spring 
because 
he saw this spring he 
wrote about this spring he 
bought and sold this spring 
because 

 the whole river gushes up in one sparkling burst 
from the earth you cannot believe this spring 
it is beyond your possible conceptions of a spring  

this spring is a historic spring 
be still and know this spring 

look please and enjoy it 
as generations have done before 
as generations yet to come