Imperative Mood

Listen. Sit down. Have a glass of
water. Okay? Good. Now lean back
and remember how you got here.
Don’t speak, just think. Go ahead, drink,

wet your whistle. No need to look
sullen. More ice? Here’s a towel.
Wipe your hands and clean the grime off.
Does it cling to your skin, even

now? Remember why. Leave out no
detail. Breathe in, breathe out. Feeling
comfortable? Water still cold?
They say water purifies, but

cold can, while in midleap, flash-freeze
an electron’s quantum bounding.
It erases nothing, cleanses
only to preserve. Please try to

understand. Unfurrow your brow
and drink deeply. I can hear ice
clinking hard against your glass. Your
hand is shaking. You remember.

Don’t you?