Last Mojito, The

Noah’s Thirst

52 THE LAST MOJITO Noah’s Thirst Noah hadn’t slept soundly In well over a month And he awoke each night With a parched throat. He was tired from coupling The animals ready for the boat That soon planned to depart. Ark, schmark, it’s all folly As far as I’m concerned, He said, aloud, to himself. But his family warned him To remain duly righteous, And Noah, if nothing else, Was a man of his word; Once he gave it, he knew He could never retract it— From God or any poor beggar Who stumbled down the road. If truth be known, Noah had a case of cold feet; He hated water to such a degree That he never learned to swim. The night before the great escape He thought, rather seriously, Of abandoning the project, Leaving his clan behind, Taking a hike into the hills. The paired creatures would be better off Without him in charge, he reasoned. What kind of nautical experience Did he possess, anyway? Since when was he so chosen? Besides, he was 600 years old. Hadn’t he earned his just reward? Bart Edelman 53 Who else had this much to bear Upon his old, stooped shoulders? So what if the entire world Sunk like a stone in sin? They could all get on without him. Hell, he had split enough gopher wood To last for a lifetime. Couldn’t he die in peace? Let the others survive. He’d packed them in so neatly On the Ark as God had demanded; Why couldn’t he merely fade Into the abyss of obscurity? And then he faintly heard The thunder crack in the distance, As he peered into the open sky. Suddenly, the ground burst forth And he saw the torrents of water, Flowing past his gnarled toes. Perhaps, Noah divined, he might care To rethink his latest position. Before he even realized it, He was running as fast as possible In the direction of the Ark, And when the water rose higher, He started to struggle, Until he miraculously floated Toward what awaited him. He closed his wide eyes, Recited a simple prayer, Fell into a listless sleep, And awoke on a rocking boat That resounded with the key of life. 54 THE LAST MOJITO Ultimately, it would be More than 300 days and nights Before Noah could step on land And feel the earth beneath his feet; By then, he was told To behold God’s covenant, Till the fertile soil, And plant a vineyard, So he might never thirst again. ...