We All Sit Beside A Pool Of Tears

We all sit beside a pool of tears
Mine was home to algae and mosquitos
not much more than a puddle, really
I sat there everyday unable
to see the sun, the moon or myself
reflected in the murk, hoping
for a tadpole to take up residence
or dew to float on a leaf
Hungry for food, thirsty for drink
longing for sustenance

The dark immensity of tears beside you
was too deep to fathom
too wide to sail across
the rain of accumulated pain
tsunamis of sorrow, centuries of grief
Unlike me, you didn’t sit at water’s edge
helpless, hoping

You braved the stagnant sea
waded until you submerged
our despair alive against your skin
Your nostrils flared, your mouth opened
you did what those of us desperate
to survive avoid
You gulped in our grief
drowned in the lake of our shatteredness
then you emerged, coughing, sputtering
the weight of us dripped
from your robe and beard

You stroked toward shore
then stopped, knelt
The pool now clear glittering
lapped at your chest

You beckoned to us
we who stood on the sand
thinking we had witnessed your folly
Tentatively we inched closer
shivering in the shimmering wet
You touched our shoulders
cupped the small of our backs
dunked us into Presence
We surfaced, soaked and stunned
You wipe our eyes
Scooped up our tears
held your palms to our lips

“Drink,” you said
“This is the Water of Life”


©Cathy Warner, 2009
With thanks to Trevor Hudson for the title.
Dedicated to the Companions in Ministry Community.

Permission to use this poem for personal or worship use is granted, provided the author is credited.