Sunday, December 14, 2008

Dry Well

When the well is dry--
bone dry,
drip-dried,
brain-fried--
what do you do?

You pump,
and pump,
and pump...

and what do you get?

Nothing
but an empty
bucket
and a creaky
sound
in your ears?

So, you wait.
And watch.
And wait.

Creak.
Creak.
Creak.

Still dry.

Don't give up.

Still dry.

Don't jump!

Water will return
some day.

Creak.
Creak.
Creak.

Watch and wait.
Watch and wait...

Nothing yet.

Maybe tomorrow?

Just a trickle?
A drip?
A drop?

Water will flow again.
(You have to believe this.)

Watch.
Wait.

Soon.

For more on what to do when the well runs dry, visit:
http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/poetry/istop.html
http://www.cynthiaharrison.com/?p=32
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/06/14/040614fa_fact
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9620861
http://ridingwiththetopdown.blogspot.com/2008/09/imagination-unleashed-guest-blogger.html
http://community.eharlequin.com/content/refilling-well-and-prize-win
http://www.bitsofnews.com/content/view/1104/42/

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope your well fills nicely over the holidays, Bruce.

Bruce Black said...

Thanks, Kelly. Just hearing from writers like you helps the well fill a bit more.

laurasalas said...

Bruce, I love this poem! My writing well rarely runs dry, since my issue is time, not words flowing (of course, the words may stink, but that's another issue!).

But this beautifully captures the sense and feeling of a dry well in other areas of life, too.

Thanks for sharing!

Bruce Black said...

The image of a well... and drawing words up out of it... has always struck me as a perfect description for the writing process. Glad it worked for you, too.