Words of Wisdom Concerning Water

You can never see your reflection in water pooled in the palms
Of your own hands. Try it. It’s impossible. I think
Your hands would have to be as deep as oceans and as wide as canyons
For your face to show up in the water you’ve cupped in your hands.

There are myths about people falling into the water after falling in love
With their own reflections, that the face they saw peering out at them
From the rocky depths of fish-fouled water was so fucking beautiful
That they just had to try to kiss it, but no, I don’t believe it

No one could be that stupid, to not know what their own face looked like
To have not seen their reflection a thousand times before
In dirty run-off ponds, in a wooden bowl filled with still soup,
In a TV cop’s mirrored sunglasses. I just don’t believe it.

If it's cold enough that the water pooled in your hands begins to freeze solid,
You should go inside. You'll catch your death from that kind of cold.
If it evaporates from exposure to the wind and the heat
You should get more. You can't have too much water
On a day like that.

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Holly Day's writing has recently appeared in Analog SF, The Hong Kong Review, and Appalachian Journal, and her hobbies include kicking and screaming at vending machines.