Aquifer Song

 

pressure over time, I form

porous, deep within earth’s womb

my gravel vessels cradle

a million year snowmelt

I swallow raindrops

descending beads seep soil

form my pools in earth’s underbelly

 

I quench longing of the ages

my infinite elixir

cleanse you, slake your thirsty lands

 

but verdant promises shrivel

my tears do not replete your baked soil

you long for water

without grace of conversion

innovate now, build canals

deliver drink –– for crops, mouths

 

an atmospheric river       empties.

rivulets grow gullies, cutting muddy ravines 

water sanctifies, disguises drought –– for now

 

over time, heat prevails

arid, your plants & trees wither

you pray for snowpack              a fluid phoenix

it refuses you

drill then, puncture my veins

suction lifeblood –– whose?

unstable terrain, earth crumbles, I collapse

 

empty, we ache for replenishment

 

June 26, 2021