we do not say the word is tired
and cheap.
we say the label’s promise we will keep.
we do not show the factory’s pallid
glare.
we show the mountain
and the crystal air.

we cannot claim what scrutiny
would break,
so for the sacred customer’s own sake,
we drop the adjective
that rings too true,
and paint a fresher,
more forgiving hue.

the term "green" withers,
so we let it fade,
a simple color,
on a slick cascade.
"organic" stands,
a certified,
dry fact,
while "natural" suggests a pristine act.

and
since "pure water"
is a pointless phrase,
we conjure glaciers from the marketing haze,
a blue-filtered peak,
a digitally blessed scene,
to place the bottle where no truth has been.

it is a kindness,
this,
a gentle lie,
to protect the dignity within the eye
that does not wish to see the tangled
cost,
the ecosystem and the spirit,
lost.

we salvage image,
both for brand and soul,
to keep the broken contract
feeling whole.
we sell the picture,
so you need not know
the bitter spring from which your comforts flow.