Half A Glass of Water

 

we sat drinking

the milk of lions

and smoking argila

way past midnight

the curtains drawn

the candles burning

outside, the curtains were drawn

Baghdad is burning

do you see the glass

half full of water

or half empty?

I asked

I don’t see the glass!

one said

I don’t see the water!

another intoned

we all laughed

I mean if I were holding a glass

with some water in it

would you see it as half full

or as half empty?

would you be giving me the water?

the poet asked

yes!

then I will see it as an uninterrupted

flowing fountain of bliss

a blue ocean

a cleansing rain

washing away

incertitude

and making

between my toes

hope spring

to life

to life

we all echoed

and downed a shot

I’ll keep a picture of it

he continued

in my mind

and dream of it later

when the sun

announces

the day murderous

and reality claims

me

as one of its straying

sons of Iraq

but …if we were two

we would fight and kill

each other for the water

and you would end up

drinking it

by then, it would be

blood red and murky

we heartily laughed

at his gallows humor

because that’s all

there was to laugh at

Reviews

[Anne Martin]

Personally, I would see half a glass of water, and I'd take it an pour it down the back of your shirt. Then it would be an empty glass. That would end the controversy.

As always, this is classy work. Life goes on in spite of what is happening outside. People play and laugh, but in the light of day they die.

we sat drinking
the milk of lions

I love the way you said that. (Slaps a five on the bar and orders another, straight up.)

You never disappoint.

[Li Li]

You have a great sense of story telling.... You have that talk of wisdom filled words. You allow this to unfold in a way where one really gets involved.... some seem to pay attention to things that can become the opposite of their initial intentions..... I didn't know what to think of it at first, but the more I read, the more I appreciated what you gave. This was a really great piece of art.

Bless!

[[untitled]]

I think this poem is wonderful. It is filled with so much besides being written superbly, the way you capture the normalcy of a reality within an uncommon circumstance. It is what it is (a half glass water is just a half a glass of water)

[Raven Held]

This would be a literature student's dream come true. There is so much depth to this poem, so richly layered, in terms of form and structure, use of dialogue and diction, as well as the analogy of a half-filled glass of water (yes, that's how I would see it).

There is an uncontrolled flow of words which concurs with the 'uninterrupted flowing spring of bliss' mentioned. (I love that expression, by the way.) There is a very comfortable easiness created and it just fills the reader with such optimism, despite the rather dark undertone towards the end.

All in all, very nicely penned. Enjoyed it immensely. Thanks for sharing!

Loves,
Raven