See them reaching for me in the oasis
Watch them play with me as I rain down
I wonder if man could ever do without me
Vegetation cries out for me
Nations give way to me
Lands open up for me
Who can do without me?
I could be as touching as a rain of blessing
I could be as calm as a swimming pool
I could be as motivated as a rushing river
Yet, I could be as terrible as a merciless flood
I am an important part of the hospital drip
I am a dream come true in the land of drought
I am very vital to every balanced diet; so critical to every cooked meal
Yet, I could harbor man’s death in me.
Poor me!
Deluded me!
Evil creatures use me as a place of refuge
Dangerous diseases get their ticket to continuity from me
Wretched me! What can I do?
I cannot make good decisions for myself
I am too careless to beware, too vulnerable to suspect
I make friends without premonition or caution
Not that I, water, am wicked
But in my innocence, I have made friends with the ugly and the bad
Typhoid, Cholera and Dysentery are just a few of them
Malaria, River Blindness and Ringworm squat in my apartment
Yet, I am vital and essential to most of creation
To some, I am a criterion for the continuity of life
I could be manipulated, cheated and easily deceived
I have been maltreated, abuse and polluted
But now, I realize how much help and attention I need
So I am asking humanity, my greatest friend, to please yield to my cry.
« return.