I love this river
I have stood on its banks
frolicked in its swell
almost been swept away by its current
But
I won't soon forget
the moment I met You
and I realized
that the mouthful of
—what I thought was—
clear, cold, refreshing water
was nothing more than
coppery, hot, metallic blood
I'd like to say
that since that moment
I've never cupped my hands again
to draw this putrid liquid
up to my mouth
but You know
that personal Niles are hard to abandon
I've been kneeling
at this river
my whole life
and You know just how
deep a canyon
it has carved in my heart
Still You couldn't bear
to leave me here
fervid and thirsty
never having tasted
Water from the Fountain
that will never
run dry