by Pa Rock
Poetry Appreciator
Early this morning a very large man on a very small backhoe showed up and began the process of connecting me to the local rural water system. His boss, the man who owns the very small backhoe, assured me that the entire process would take "about a week," an estimate that could lengthen considerably once Ozark exaggeration is factored out of the equation. But, I grew up in southern Missouri, and I understand the nuances of the dialect.
I currently receive my water supply from a well. I don't trust well water for drinking, although my neighbor who grew up on my little farm swears the water is the best around. Wells are problematic also in that they generally require maintenance at the most inopportune times. By hooking onto rural water, my primary concern will be paying the monthly bill - with water testing and maintenance being problems that others will have to deal with.
So the big man cometh, and he diggeth.
It is likely that water may become the defining story of our current century. As the ice caps and glaciers melt as a result of the activities of mankind, sea levels are rising and low-lying areas, places like Florida and the Louisiana bayous, face the very real threat of becoming submerged - perhaps not in my lifetime, but definitely in the days when my children and their children rule the planet. (Note: Washington, DC, should not be affected because it is a "high-lying" area!) At the same time, and quite conversely, as seawater pours across the lowlands, clean drinking water is becoming harder and harder to access in some areas of the world - and, in a world economy fueled by greed, private corporations are busy buying up small and independent water companies, a reality that could prove deadly for the world's poorer populations.
The future looks both wet and thirsty - and its coming faster than most of us realize.
With water on the brain, I chose a poem about water for this week's poetry selection. The title, in fact, is "Water," and the poem was originally penned by 19th century philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. It's just a few lines that sing the praises of water - and also warn of its destructive nature, both in the short term as well as over time. Water may cleanse our bodies and refresh our souls, but a few drops of rain also started the trickle that eventually carved out the Grand Canyon. It is a defining element of our lives.
Water
by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Poetry Appreciator
Early this morning a very large man on a very small backhoe showed up and began the process of connecting me to the local rural water system. His boss, the man who owns the very small backhoe, assured me that the entire process would take "about a week," an estimate that could lengthen considerably once Ozark exaggeration is factored out of the equation. But, I grew up in southern Missouri, and I understand the nuances of the dialect.
I currently receive my water supply from a well. I don't trust well water for drinking, although my neighbor who grew up on my little farm swears the water is the best around. Wells are problematic also in that they generally require maintenance at the most inopportune times. By hooking onto rural water, my primary concern will be paying the monthly bill - with water testing and maintenance being problems that others will have to deal with.
So the big man cometh, and he diggeth.
It is likely that water may become the defining story of our current century. As the ice caps and glaciers melt as a result of the activities of mankind, sea levels are rising and low-lying areas, places like Florida and the Louisiana bayous, face the very real threat of becoming submerged - perhaps not in my lifetime, but definitely in the days when my children and their children rule the planet. (Note: Washington, DC, should not be affected because it is a "high-lying" area!) At the same time, and quite conversely, as seawater pours across the lowlands, clean drinking water is becoming harder and harder to access in some areas of the world - and, in a world economy fueled by greed, private corporations are busy buying up small and independent water companies, a reality that could prove deadly for the world's poorer populations.
The future looks both wet and thirsty - and its coming faster than most of us realize.
With water on the brain, I chose a poem about water for this week's poetry selection. The title, in fact, is "Water," and the poem was originally penned by 19th century philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. It's just a few lines that sing the praises of water - and also warn of its destructive nature, both in the short term as well as over time. Water may cleanse our bodies and refresh our souls, but a few drops of rain also started the trickle that eventually carved out the Grand Canyon. It is a defining element of our lives.
Water
by Ralph Waldo Emerson
The water understands
Civilization well;
It wets my foot, but prettily,
It chills my life, but wittily,
It is not disconcerted,
It is not broken-hearted:
Well used, it decketh joy,
Adorneth, doubleth joy:
Ill used, it will destroy,
In perfect time and measure
With a face of golden pleasure
Elegantly destroy.
No comments:
Post a Comment