It's always those who, <br />while in shallow waters <br />point out to others that they are, <br />and give advice of how, <br />and when and why <br />to extricate yourself. <br />Yet they are ignorant <br />of all but downpipe scum, <br />which, incidentally <br />accumulates with patience <br />like foul saliva, near the spout. <br />And on most days <br />the pipes are empty, <br />sound hollow <br />and exotic until <br />the rains come down <br />and race through all, <br />a fleeting glimpse <br />of intellect perhaps? <br />Sadly, it's not to be, <br />for, in the end <br />both pipe and gutter <br />sweat in the sun <br />and glare with envy <br />at garden hoses <br />which are full of water.<br /><br />Herbert Nehrlich<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/gutters-and-downpipes/
