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This writing was accepted for publication in the 108 page perfect-bound ISSN# / ISBN# issue/book “History, Banners and Flags” Down in the Dirt, v197 (the 7/22 Issue) Order the paperback book:

Order this writing that appears in the one-of-a-kind anthology The Final Frontier the Down in the Dirt May-August 2022 issues collection book		get the 420 page May-August 2022 Down in the Dirt 6" x 9" ISBN# perfect-bound paperback book:

Glass Half Dirty

Robin Cantwell

Acid rain dissolves in a reservoir
like locust
dipped in carbamate.

There are more plastics in the sea
than stars in our galaxy —
at least fifty trillion (but who’s counting?)
spangled
like the scales of a fish
floating in a coagulation tank.
I close my eyes, and see them all,
a maelstrom
of aquatic nymphs
moulting from their ionised sludge.

Next, the liquid is passed
through a flocculated concentration
a rearrangement
of their chemistry,
by the miracle we call
membrane filtration
including, but not limited to,
grit
disinfectant
anthracite,
even ultraviolet is sometimes needed
to kill those stubborn nitrates.

And before you know it
a glass of water
fresh from the tap
it’s good for your teeth
a majestic symphony
of microbiology
a most welcome relief
from coliform
diarrhoea
dysentery,
ready to flush
back down the drain
and start the rush
all over again.

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