A Glass of Water

You know that moment
Where something sets in 
In your mind
And it's not like
Well
I knew things weren't good before
From a detached standpoint
People can say words like "toxic" and "unhealthy"
And I can know what those words mean
I can take a step back
Look at the situation from the outside
And say
"Oh.
This isn't the best."
But
I don't really get it
I don't feel it
Not until
A good thing comes along
A really good thing
So good that I can't put it into words
A glass of cold water on a day full of heat and sweat and sunburns
Handed to me with a smile
A pat on the back
Water dripping down my neck
Soothing my throat
That feeling of utter relief
And sure
I knew I was dehydrated before
But
I never knew that it had gotten this bad
I never knew that all of that heat and exhaustion and discomfort could lift
With a simple drink
And there's so much more where that came from
For the first time
Maybe for the first time in my life
I feel
I feel
I feel
Unburdened
No heat is suffocating my lungs, my vision
There's just the cool comfort of water
Against my aching throat
And no matter how much I try to convey my gratitude
It can never come across quite right
There's no words
No words that aren't some convoluted metaphor
About a glass of water on a hot summer's day
That can show you the relief that's holding my heart aloft in my chest
So I just keep saying
Thank you
Thank you
And hope that the quantity will make up for the lack of quality
You smile
Kind of confused as to why there are tears in my eyes
After all, it's just water
But it's not
It's never just water
It's the fact that I've been working out in the sun for an eternity
With no break
No respite
And my throat's been dry for days
So long that I forgot what being hydrated feels like
And I didn't drink water
Not because I didn't deserve it or it was too hard to find
But merely because there was no point
After all, the heat will always come back to suffocate
To suffer
There's no point in easing it
Because in a mere moment
I'll be out here again
But here you are
Holding out a glass of water and a smile
No judgement for my torn up, sweat-stained clothes
Merely telling me
"Whenever you need a glass of water
I'll be happy to bring you one."
I can't say thank you again
I can't say thank you again
So I smile and nod
And say
​"I'll take you up on that"