Descent

It starts as a spring
trickling out of polished granite
at the top of a mountain
you can come to it parched
put your lips on it
you can drink it in gulps
lick it off the rock
as thirsty as you are
it never stops coming
it fills you
after the arduous climb

By the time
it reaches the valley
here where we farm food
and work jobs
raise the children and drive cars
where we stare at our smart phones
where our backs get sweaty
from the worn out old couch
and the stale air
it is the widest river
swift and polluted
undrinkable
and you can't cross it
without a boat
none of us can seem
to push off the dock.