The Taunt and Mockery of Water

The Taunt and Mockery of Water This desert has no other relationship to offer Nothing but the dry ache of its thirst And though its heat is enough to warm cold bones Still the chill of its relentless dunes Leaves the parched winds grip in the empty Footprints before footsteps In their circles wander And return at sunrise to begin again The walk of waterless sand And in the stories of deserted sea Three drops of rain could not set them free A costume of sand is all there will ever be Life does not look into the mirage so readily To forget and think on lush and luxurious green And loneliness is consigned with sunset savagery To the arid tract Where no one can hear its plea For water The same rocks tripped upon The same empty cup fallen The wavering heat a taunt and mockery To an ocean Should those footprints beckon you To where bright days Are no more than hollow and sunless memory Beware such captured hope It takes from you all that it could have been Brittle and unforgiving the sky of dry and windswept leaves Each one a reminder of your dreams Dreams for a little rain to come and caress your soul Before you became lost In this no place to go A little rain is your only plea Water on which your blood will feed Three little drops to set you free To flood your being And bring you finally To the sea Hard done by and done so unfairly Any soul who has not been touched By Love