It is the amount of water
you can scoop
in one hand

an Arabic measure
of what you can lift

from the cool glisten
of a hidden spring

what you can bring
to drying lips

your waiting throat
without even a cup

at the scale only
of a human body

a measure of touch
and volume and satiation

I am glad of Gurfa
water always tastes best

drunk from a lifting hand
and we need words at this scale

the number of tastes
that light up your tongue
in a bite of fruit salad

the amount of moonlight
that can fill your eyes
between blinks

how many notes you must hear
before remembering
a slow dance in a darkened high school gym

# # #

Ryan Warren lives with his family by the sea in Northern California. His poetry has previously appeared in numerous journals including California Quarterly, Amaryllis, Wilderness House Literary Review, Firefly Magazine, Verse-Virtual, Ekphrastic and the anthology, Carry The Light. Read more here: http://www.facebook.com/RyanWarrenPoetry

Photo credit: Larry D. Thacker http://www.larrydthacker.com

Audio: Susan C. Ingram