The Cup of Cold Water
(“I was thirsty, and you gave me drink.”)
There’s nothing like cold water
If you’ve forgotten
Allow me to remind you
The aqueducts of Rome
Spiral wells in the Atacama
Oases here and want to be there throughout the world
The lack of it in Flint
According to recent studies
Not trusting my tap water, either
That’s all right, let them drink from plastic bottles
(we can have it with our cake instead of bread)
Tell that to the lack of wells in western Africa
And those who only have the wherewithal
For thirst
Other than the vine
No greater metaphor in Scripture
Yours or mine
Or simply keep the paperwork
That says we cannot drink
Or of the warlords who say,
I have water
So I win
I once drank water through the ground
Artesian promises
But
The pressure of the
Earth is not
Enough alone
To make it clear
To keep its savor
We have ruined all of it
I don’t mind filters
I’m glad for Brita
But too bad I cannot trust a spring
In the desert
It’s not the suddenness of romance
But the assurance of a poison
I’ll take my filters now
As long as I can
I’ll arrange fundraising for
Wells in real wilderness
But for the suburban places that were made into our own
We can buy
We can vote
We can find the difference
In the basics of thirst
The right to hunger
C L Couch
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https://pixabay.com/en/flowers-cup-plastic-water-2690276/
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