The bathtub drain

Tiny chrome hatch

That holds back mighty waters

You create a reservoir that’s used for recreation of the young

And relaxation of the old

Within the lake you form

Rubber duckies buoy about the bubbles

Toy ships sail the swells

Miniature submarines plunge the depths

Colorful, plastic fishes navigate the currents

From time to time, errant waves breach the levees, deluging the tiles below

As playtime winds down and bedtime awaits

Little imaginations conceive worlds of fun

Before their inventive minds go to sleep for the night

For grown-ups, a more placid pool simmers in stillness

Soft music echoes throughout the canyon’s porcelain walls

Candlelight dances off the water’s shimmering surface

Perhaps a good book and a glass of champagne?

As the stress of the day melts away in the toasty lagoon

Muscles are soothed

Cares are cleansed

Worries dissolve

In the healing bath

When the soak is done,

Your plug is pulled from its clench

Your floodgates flung open

A violent vortex swirls above you

As water whirlpools down through your silver grate

The tremendous volume you once held dwindles

As you loudly gulp the final ounces of your cubic stores

And bath time comes to an end

You hold considerable power, you simple mechanism

The shower can never replace you

The joy you bring to a busy, weary household

Is as immense as your vast reaches