Archive of poems by Anne Kelly

You and I together
Kneeling, scrubbing with small, wire brush.
Every drop of water has to be scooped out
With a small saucer.
Nothing is left to chance.
Not a single speck of moss or dirt.
The bed of the well has to be spotless
Scrubbed with white lime
Scrubbed, scrubbed, scrubbed.
Swished and swirled with clean water.

The well is empty now.
Its walls and bed still and glossy.
We walk back to the house together
Knowing that tonight
The well will fill up again, slowly
From the deep spring of the earth
From the secret, magic source.
Tomorrow everyone will draw water again
From the spotless, gleaming well.

by Anne Kelly

Archive index | Next poem »