Notes #3

4. Elements – Water

Water an elemental
Water a fundamental
Building block of life
Water of Life
Water of Death

Water in all religions
Water in all living things
Water in all countries
Water also used for barter

No life without water
No rife with water
No respect for water
Willful neglect of water

Water, for cooking
Water, for cleaning
Water, for drinking
Water, for living
Water, for dying

Water is the same
In all languages
Water is the same
To all living beings

Anand Dixit

The simplistic and literal quality of Anand Dixit’s poem “Elements – Water” serves as a type of figurative language that creates a deeper meaning. The simplistic four stanza poem relates one simple element, water, to multiple purposes in different countries, languages, and cultures. The poet does this as a way to relate everything together no matter what differences there seem to be. Anand reiterates this in the last stanza, “water is the same to all living beings”. Even though water is used for a plethora of different things, it is always viewed the same. The poem, in itself, represents water, a simple but yet complex part of the universe.