It’s alive, I think, as I stroke its silky undulations,
My mud-caked fingers revelling in its touch,
Sprightly bubbles giggle as if my fingers, full of wonder, tickle,
While its dazzling face gives me a hundred-watt smile!
Its eyes twinkle like a galaxy of shining stars,
That I could once see in the night sky
But can no more.
I don’t care, as I tide over the flaws in its enchanting beauty,
Silt particles enjoying a swim; heavier cousins lounging down below,
They probably arrived from that site a few miles away,
Where a golf course is being constructed, the ‘haves’ having their way.
And the wrong ‘uns, Mr. Metal and Miss Chloride are making merry in it,
After a short travel from Factoryland,
But as it winks at me like a friend, I am glad.
Ever since the drought hit us, life has been bleak,
But not for our neighbours, the thoughtless ones with the mean streak
Who gutted the earth for water, and drilled as they pleased,
Not sparing a thought, the wonders of the world they squeezed
Never considering that not so far behind their grand houses
Live people less fortunate, less privileged, less rich
Whose life was condemned to a smelly, dark ditch.
Drowned in an endless struggle, in the depths of despair,
For there was no water for us, anywhere,
Will sadness and woe always be our gifts, will we always be shunned?
Or will we discover a better world, is there a place for us under the sun?
Basic human right, they said, but are we human after all?
Never given a chance, everything designed to make us fall.
Nothing ever changing for us, is it really our fault?
The ramifications of this inequity, is there any hope at all?
Is there some way to make this mindless death wish stall?
Do we even realise what fate will befall?
Climate Change, whose anger they inconsiderately incited,
The rage of the Gods that we have foolishly invited,
What good will be water, if its only left for the rising oceans to unleash
Our funeral pyre is what we have ourselves ignited.
As I beheld a satiny, vibrant gift from heaven on top,
To be used sparingly, not wasted even a drop,
I gazed into its shimmery mirror I saw a world full of inequalities,
And me, a poor girl who saw in water endless possibilities.
I forego my thirst and make a vow to change my fate,
Not accepting my destiny, despite what challenges I face,
And be as alive as the water, whose unrealised ambitions I will trace.
All I want is to take a long sip and feel it healing my parched throat,
But I can’t yet, for now, I must wait.
wow!
This is amazing!