Painting with Waterwho invented the small
sponge-on-a-stick?
maybe someone with compassion
and sorrow in their heart.a dab of moistness
is swirled - a paintbrush of water -
soothing a gaping mouth
like ice on a lingering burn.for this ritual of mercy was
one stage of the comforting
that ended with empty beds
sadly neat.and too often this exercise
was handled with deftness
by a soul
new to the motionless.but why was
there not enough artists
to swab all the dryness
by those sitting bedside?the answer is plain -
as the pious would proclaim
that those who were parched
were those at fault.thus my heart is so grateful
for the love of the builder
of the sponge-on-a-stick.
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