wash me
with the water
that isn’t clean
the holy water
wash me with the water
that holds the dirt
of all history
the sweat from hard work
the grime of play
the scrubbed sin
the diluted confession
wash me in this
so i will know i am human
wash me with this water
that holds the tears
of all of history
cried by the broken and the fragile
the resilient and the strong
bathe me with the water
that has showered with joy
and flooded with fear
that has rained on both the just and the unjust
wash me in this
so i will know i will survive
and wash me
with the water that has quenched the thirst
for drink
forever
but never the thirst
for longing
so i will know
what it is
to live.
sarah Agnew