Mixture of many waters

I am the mixture of many waters. How can I be pure?

There is water of great purity in me, yet I am not pure.

There is pure water in my water, dirty water in my water,

Contaminated water in my water, colored water in my water,

Smelling water in my water, ice in my water and vapors too

I even have waters never seen in my water

And forbidden waters, I have them all in my water

Salt water too, How can I be pure?

Warm, hot and cold waters too I have them all in my water.

How can I be pure? How did I come to be like this?

O I remember when I was yet pure and met with dirty water

I thought I could make it pure as I am

And truly, it thought it could learn the art of purity from me

But it had its own uses as I also have my own uses

So we couldn’t mix properly, but we remained in same container.

What of when I met with contaminated water?

I avoided it and it didn’t even want me too but we remained in same holding

Or was it when colored water came along,

I remember, I was quite envious of its great and beautiful colors

But it would not let me mix with it for it said:

“If I mix myself with you, you will be seen yet not to be recognized

For I am of great beauty and well desired by all and yet you will lose your purity”

It said, “I have great bright colors and you will lose your purity”

I understand its reason and truly I will not choose to gain beauty at the expense of my purity.

As for the smelling water, I out rightly rejected its friendship

And it didn’t even care, boosting its odor day by day

And even though I cannot bare its stench, we remained in same container.

 Some part of me became frustrated and gathered itself together,

Forming solid ice crystals in an attempt to seclude itself but we remained together.

The vapors continually removed itself, removing itself far into the skies

But it always comes back to me; to this great container that holds us all

If only I could join fully into the skies but wouldn’t we always come back to this container?

These waters, I cannot recognize mayhap, forbidden they are

Well, as long as it will not attempt to mix itself with me, we will remain in this dwelling of ours.

Often times, we all come together in an attempt to make a great mixture

But we end in disagreement, sometimes a fight; become hot and angered at ourselves

I remember very vividly, there was a time we tried to shatter our container

But we got lucky, vapor came with a message. Vapor really saved us

For we would have shattered our holding so that there is no place for us to be contained

And the sun, with its scorching heat would have dried us up on the face of the ground

And what is it with dirty and contaminated water? Always scheming schemes

Even smelling water too, what is it with it? Never coming close yet spoiling things from afar

It must be a messenger of dirty and contaminated water.

As for colored water, even though its beauty is good to look at, good to be had,

I will never trust it for it has always shown me different faces.

Vapor often escapes hastily whenever the heat of our struggle got too hot for it

It escapes to retain its purity but always returns as cold drops with messages from heaven

Alongside the chill of my iced crystals, retaining ice and chill, I wonder how long my ice can last.

Well, I am pure; the essence of purity in this mixture of many waters. I wonder how the rest perceive me

But since I will not retain my purity for the benefit of me alone, I will ally with ice

And I will entrust the survival of my progenies into the hands of vapor

Because the way I see it, the dirty water will always be contaminated and will always have a smell

As well as colors too therefore, they are one and different from I,

I am always pure, sometimes iced like crystal and even sometimes light as air in my vapor form.

That is why they will always want to alter me outside of my own choosing or better to throw me out

Yet we dwell together in this container as a mixture of many waters.

Who can save? Who can change? Who wants a drink? Who will do even a thing for the reign of peace?

O humans, coming in different flavors and personalities, yet must live together in peace and in war too

Just like me, just like you, just like everyone else in this mixture of many waters.

                                  Flame/2012/for the INC

                         (Extracts from The Everyday Handbook By Flame)