Thank you for Purification, Forgiveness, Water, and Donald

Like the Frog calling out to the rains, with his croaking song, to wash a long merciless day from the Earth…

We call on Water to wash away;

a bad taste in our mouth

a stain from an accidental spill

artists paint from our hands

sins in religious ceremonies

grime from our car

sweat from our bodies

sleep from our eyes

aches from our muscles

thirst from our throat

And sometimes, bad memories, to make room for new beginnings…

Donald was born into a traumatic environment with fetal alcohol syndrome.

I worked with him many years ago, at a treatment facility for emotionally disturbed and abused children.

He was a child of few words with a huge grin that would intermittently emerge from his ebony face in a stop motion flash of realization.

I walked outside to find Donald standing on the steps, all by himself, staring at the sky as rain clouds gathered.

I went and stood next to him—without asking what he was looking at or why he was out there all by himself instead of participating in group activity with the other children.

We stood there for several minutes, silent.

Donald staring at the sky, me watching Donald.

It started to rain.

Then came that grin, that flash of realization from the dark quiet face of Donald.

He spoke.

“God goin’ make everthin’ all clean!”

We went inside together and Donald sat at a table with his peers and continued smiling without another word.

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~ by leakelley on July 16, 2010.