Cut not thy limbs, dam(n) not thy own blood

My life, my soul mimics the waters I was born from,
Two rivers joined together,
Nine other streams branching from their union.

My pattern follows theirs,
Even as I choose my own path,
My own feet will carry me, their hands rest on my shoulders,
We have bound ourselves together.

In this world as it is, as we've found it to be,
Nothing much is permanent,
But we hope to create a permanence of bond
In this swirling, fluctuating society.