Poem for You

Selected from the National Poetry Day competition Post a Poem.
To see the poems previously published on the theme of Water click here

Undiluted
By John Broadhouse

I have bathed the feet of Pharaohs', baptised believers,
Raised your crops, carried you across oceans,
Protected you from fire, quenched your thirst.
I have levelled cities, washed away lives,
Changed coastlines, torn existence from its roots
And turned the tide on humanity.

You need me to survive but are frightened of my powers,
I am with you constantly as I come in many guises,
Look around you, I am everywhere,
In the trees, birds, animals, soil, sky, air,
I am 50 to 75 percent of you during your life
But you never see me in my true form.

Sun and Moon change my moods, stretching their influence.
I am pulled and warmed by their presence, becoming their advisory.
The Earth stirs my depths, erupting its energy through my tsunami.
I am vapour drawn by the Sun, partially visible I rise in statue
Forming clouds of hope for a parched and thirsty land.
I am the tides that wash away the flotsam purging the sands of civilisation.

I am the steam that powered the pistons of industry,
Traction engines that ploughed and carried prosperity,
Trains that united a country with affordable travel,
Sterilised the implements of surgery
And turned the wheels of mills.
I am all these and more than you can imagine, so try!

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Page last updated: 7th April 2014