“Credo,” published 2004

In the Middle East there are two ancient bodies of water. Both are fed by the Jordan River. In one, fish play and roots find sustenance. In the other, there is no splash of fish, no sound of bird, no leaf around. The difference is not in the Jordan, for it empties into both. But in the Sea of Galilee, for every drop taken in, one goes out. It gives and lives. The other gives nothing. And it is called the Dead Sea.