Ice, Water, Steam

1. Ice, Water, Steam There is a largecast iron flat - topgriddle in the kitchenwhere I work.It is enormous, hulking,and its surface can reachto nearly a thousand degrees.I regularly place pots of soupto boil on top of the black iron,reminescent of an oldships hull.About three feet over the metalsits a water spigot.(makes it easier to fill the soup pots)Normally I let the surface coolbefore pouring the waterto clean it.But todayI wanted to see Godfor myself.And so I let loosea gallon of lukewarm waterall over the black - hot iron.It boiled,instantly and violentlypicking up charred black bits of carbon,which were formerly the red peppers and yellow onionsI seared for fajitas.The gallonquickly became a quart,then a brackish black cup,then:nothing.I watched its ghostfloat up, beyond meto the stainless steel hoodthat sucks the greasy airout of our kitchen.I watched the processof evaporation.But then,shock!I looked upto see this water,this same watercondensated up upon the hood,begining it's new life astiny droplets!So let the scoffers scoff,son.And let the mockers mock.I saw resurrection. 2: Ice, Water, God The last part of my dayon Fridaywas to pull items for continental breakfastfrom the freezer.Scones, danish, muffin batters, croissants,a variety of bagelsall to be baked freshMonday morning.As I placed the bagelson their three steel sheet traysI grabbed a tiny handfulof ice,snow really.I clenched my fist tightlyand watched as the water seeped out,first in drops, drips,and then in a streamfalling to the kitchen floor.Tonight Freddie,our night cleaning manwill mop the drips up.They will be combinedwith the soapy mop water,begining their new livesas part of the collective.I wondered how many timesthis water had diedbeen written off,and where the ice came from:was it Ohio ice,or Californian?What greater body of waterdid it come from.So let the doubters doubt,and let the intellectuals give metheir vain intellectual intelligence.I will keep my ice and water and God.