You have to dig deep
in seasons of aridity
when rocks are exposed
and clouds hang suspended

Because the rain ain't coming
and the lake's gone dry
and the ocean
too salty to drink

hold on tight to what you have
plug the leaks
keep it flowing in
not flowing out

Listen closely
as the water rushes over your head
and hear the nearby echoes
of distant voices

These are the lyrics
and the songs
of the ancestors
and the wisdom

Their spirits live on
as voices in the water
as lessons to the future
of how to survive

Take this water
and rejoice in its salvation
because the well that runs forever
comes from deep within

Photo credit: Matson (G. Eric and Edith) Photograph Collection. (c. 1898 – 1946). “Busy scene at a desert well.” https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2019697063/