Water

July 17

I am thankful for water. Water is one of the most abundant resources we have. Roughly 75% of the Earth's surface is covered by water; between 45-75% of our bodies are composed of water. Although very abundant on Earth, water is also very precious, for life could not exist without it. It's interesting how we take it for granted until that time we can't find any. The drive to diminsih thirst will then be the primary motivator of our behavior. Water is one of the few molecules that exists in three states at normal Earth temperatures: solid (ice), gas (vapor), and liquid. It is also interesting that the density of ice is less than the density of liquid, a very important factor in that ice floats to the top of water, allowing the waterborne creatures to survive underneath it. And not to trivialize it, water is simply beautiful to look at in the form of lakes, rivers, and oceans. Water, the fluid of life!

Above is a photo of the Lafayette Street Standpipe in Baton Rouge taken from the fourth floor of the Shaw Center for the Performing Arts. The standpipe, which is 110 feet tall and 15 feet in diameter, once held 146,000 gallons of water. Built in 1888, it is made of wrought iron, and is now on the National Registry of Historic Places. A standpipe is essentially a watertower which allows for enough water pressure for the water to flow in pipes. Behind the standpipe is, of course, the Mississippi River, the world's fourth longest river, which drains 41% of the continental U.S. The photo below is of City Park Lake in Baton Rouge, home of many varieties of water fowl.

July 17b

water

give me a drink

of that refreshing cold

give me a swallow

don’t tell me it has been sold

in a bottle, from the tap, or in a cup

i like it cold and clear

the pause that refreshes

tell me there’s some near

in water

like to bathe

like to swim

to ski and to baptize in

it’s water that i crave

but don’t want to drown in

don’t want no flood

don’t want to hit my ball in

don’t want no mud

water the crops

water the plants

water the babies

water the elephants

i’m a purist and a connoisseur

i like my taps to overflow

for the pause that refreshes

i like me some pure h2o.

© rt tulley