Fons Vitae

 Fons Vitae


It never was a myth. 

Though tinged with rust, its waters still flow.


Persian Princes pursuing Makrobian springs;

Crusader Kings seeking sacred scriptural pools;

Rich Conquistadors questing for the lost lands of Bimini;

All their trails ran dry. 

All grew old and died.




Outside Class 2, St Bethesda’s School 

— a forgotten hamlet near to Bath — 

An old drinking fountain, barely used.

Now, parents trust a sterile, cartooned flask.


Yet, all the children know a wet paper towel from this fountain

cures any playground injury.

And a thumb under the tap 

makes for the liveliest summer game.


But Covid roped it off.

And the juniors warn of ‘lead poisoning’.


The youngest infants, though, have not yet learnt better than to lean in and drink

(when the adults are not looking, of course).

It is always the youngest.


During the summer, 

it stands unattended

save for the sparrows 

that renew themselves in the drips from the tap

and the dandelions 

that grow unusually tall underneath.

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