Claudine Nash's Poems about Water and Drought

Water and drought can be powerful metaphors, as poet/psychologist Claudine Nash shows us this evening.

The Stream

Bend 1

You are sitting in a drought,

wounded and needful. Dry.

You offer yourself a burr

and shard of glass. When

you open your mouth, out

slips a pebble.

Bend 2 

You are sitting in a drought,

parched. Needful. You think

"my poor wounded one,"

but then a coarse stream

of "shoulds" spills from

your  lips. You spit out

a shell.

Bend 3

You are sitting in a drought,

dry and needful. Silent.

You slip a hand over this

tender heart of your own

and out pours a stream.

A Beautiful Rain

You feel like a drought, yes,

but the soil does not crack

with your footsteps

nor do your bare feet

kick up dust.

Your breath does not draw

water from the dirt

or cause words

to crumble between

your teeth.

There is earth in you, yes,

but not sand. Not rock,

not desert, nothing sharp

or arid. Your edges

breathe and bend.

You pulse

in all the right

places.

There is a pool in your

heart, deep and sustaining.

Nothing has withered,

no one will drown here

or shrivel to bone.

There is storm

in your veins, yes,

but not a dry gust.

It is a beautiful rain, and 

somewhere beneath it,

a field of wild grass and

tulips is spinning itself

to life.

(Previously published in The Poeming Pigeon: Poems from the Garden)

Sometimes Before It Storms

Sometimes before

it storms,

I pack a satchel

of peaches and

call myself  Beloved.

I say such things as

“Beloved, you need

water” or “My beloved,

let’s go to the sea.”

I do not fret the mist,

it is a beach after all

and moisture is inherent

in the process. Besides,

a good peach always

pleases me.

I am content to let

the waves have their way

with my breath

until my lungs fall

and rise with their

rhythm.

I become

my own term of

endearment then

breathe myself

to life.

Dear, you

give me such grief

for disappearing

into the ocean,

but tell me,

without this,

how else could

I ever offer you

any fruit?

(Previously published in Peacock Journal)

Bio:
Claudine Nash is an award-winning poet whose collections include The Wild Essential (Aldrich Press, forthcoming), Parts per Trillion (Aldrich Press, 2016) and The Problem with Loving Ghosts  (Finishing Line Press, 2014). Her poetry has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and has appeared in numerous publications including Asimov’s Science Fiction, BlazeVOX, Cloudbank and Haight Ashbury Literary Journal among others. She is also a practicing psychologist. www.claudinenashpoetry.com.

Miles Davis' "Amandla" makes me think of the desert:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To4OhHDbVPM

"Catembe" is also from Amandla, a late album by Miles Davis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8hqk2zF2G4

As is "Mr. Pastorius": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_hdF6VEDJ4

I'll finish with a live version of his "Human Nature":  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ5E4Jo3lpU