Water

Composed after the tsunami in the Indian Ocean 2004


When you think of water, what do you recall?
Is it mighty oceans, or a bottle from the mall?

Maybe it's a river that is streaming from the hill,
A glass beside your bedside, you would sip at when you're ill.

A basinful at morning as you wash away the sleep,
Or is that water salty, as your tears, whene'er you weep?

We use it as a cleanser when the weekly wash is due,
It's noticed after sunrise, in the form of morning dew,

So too, when we are cooking, it is poured inside the pan,
This water is essential in the daily lives of man.

It comes in different structures - as ice, a liquid, steam,
And used as an example - 'Living water' - to redeem.

Perhaps you see it murky, more likely crystal clear,
Or do you see it awesome and something you should fear?

It's seen as very calming in a sub-aqua marine,
But then, when it does billow, it rages, very mean.

So water can be timid, but can also send spine chills,
And sadly we have witnessed how this savage water kills.