Yesterday the water was shut off.
Only in my building and
Only for the bulk of the day
No preparations the day before
My tea kettle empty from morning coffee
I scrambled and found
A few cups of water here and there
Drinking water in the fridge,
Cooking water on the stove
Water for misting my hair in a spray bottle
Enough to satisfy morning ablutions.
When the water is shut off
For an entire town or vast population
When a ‘boil water’ advisory
Drags across weeks and months and years
Any bit of water is precious
While our rights are satisfied
Each day with ease
The rights of others are ignored.
“The air, the water and the ground are free gifts to man and no one
has the power to portion them out in parcels. Man must drink and
breathe and walk and therefore each man has a right to his share of each.”
~ James Fennimore Cooper
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