H 2 Eau

Steamy jungle heat
Wet with storms and stagnant pools,
Like a mirage rising
From a desert lake,
Mist from cascading waterfalls,
And pounding ocean breakers;

The essence of water
Free from the impurities of
Dust and plant and beast
Gently rising through life-giving air.

Bonding with common elements
To form a hint of hydration,
A wisp of wetness.

Rising through the strata
Carried on trade-wind and jet stream.
Traces of global civilizations
United in a fluid dance,
Joining together and drifting apart.

Tumbling, diving and reaching
Toward the heavens,
In silence and serenity.
Then sparking the imagination.
Unleashing thunderous groans.
Spiraling in pain and destruction.
Until it can grow no more …

Then bursting, breaking, gushing
In tears of joy and pain.
Gently released then
Gathering in momentum and size
To nourish once more
A parched throat,
A withered leaf,
And a new season of life.