We try – and try – and try
to slake the thirst
at the center
of our spirit.
We gulp soft drinks
loaded with sugar –
the sticky-sweet pleasures of life
that momentarily taste so good
but dehydrate us
leaving us more cotton-mouthed
than before.
Craving relief, we chug shots
of lie after lie
as we tell ourselves
we can do this
we can handle this
we are not wrong
in our desperate attempt
to numb the pain
of a parched soul.
Spiritually adrift,
we give in to the temptation
to drink deep
of the saline waters of sin
and in a vicious cycle
sin increases our craving
luring us to guzzle more
of that which is killing us.
And all the while
fresh water is at hand –
Living Water
to quench
our thirsty soul.