The Weight of Water

I.

When I first arrived into this world, I flew
on ancient winds. I was born into a creation story.

II.

Long ago, my great great great grandmother met
her other half. He, too, flew on winds, then as one of
many grains of sand – each split in half looking
for the other. Back then, humans were only spirits

searching for connections. Long ago, a single grain found
another, my grandmother. So, they asked the Creator
for bodies, to know what it was like to touch each other.
They did and foresaw their child would die in birth.
So they prayed – Save her, each sacrificing

something in return. The man entered the spirit world
as a horse and the woman opened herself up
from the center to give him a piece of her
to remain connected.

III.

In the middle of the desert
there is a lake created out of tears. Long ago
there was a mother with four daughters:
North, East, South, and West. Once they grew up
each daughter left to follow her own direction.

Saddened by this loss, the mother cried
so intensely the skies envied her ability to create
such moisture. Days turned to months, months to
years and tears gathered in salty pools that gravitated
towards each other’s weight. Unable to release
her bitterness, the mother turned to stone.

Today, the Stone Mother waits.
Come back to me my children.
Come back to me.