weeping stones​

Issue 18

beginning 1616, in the Elbe River, years of hardship and inscription are chiseled on rocks
 
 
walk for water in developing countries is
                  four miles, round trip.
                 
water, free flowing from a faucet is a marvel
                  I forget daily.
 
water clean enough to drink without boiling
                  means the government is functioning
 
well enough so I can get on with other worries:
                  fires, floods, shutoffs, cutoffs, delays,
 
deportations.                   even atmospheric rivers
 
                  vacillate between deluge and dribble
caught in the void of human logic. I never imagined
 
                  the possibility of iceberg extinction
or being its witness,
 
                  where water overflows the oceans
but not enough to drink.           they say
 
                  AI will save us all           water-cooled sea
of servers with a collection of the whole human
 
                  intelligence and imperfections.
will it be our magnum opus, our deliverance
 
                  or demise?                          until such time,
 
                                    if you see me, then weep --
​

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ROSA KANG is a poet. Due to her nomadic childhood, she often explores themes of immigration and what is home in her writings. Currently she resides in Oakland with her husband and works in beverage R&D. She enjoys cooking and morning ritual of brewing tea.

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