Friday, December 14, 2012

Permanent Wilting Point

Luke 3:7-18

Permanent wilting point (PWP) or wilting point (WP) is defined as the minimal point of soil moisture the plant requires not to wilt. If moisture decreases to this or any lower point a plant wilts and can no longer recover its turgidity when placed in a saturated atmosphere for 12 hours. The physical definition of the wilting point (symbolically expressed as θpwp or θwp) is defined as the water content at −1500 J/kg (or −15 bars) of suction pressure, or negative hydraulic head. However, it is noted that the PWP values under field conditions are not constant for any given soil but are determined by the integrated effects of plant, soil, and atmospheric conditions.
               -Wikipedia

Apparently there are too many ways
for the crowds to go wrong.
Like some of the poinsettias in our sanctuary
one day too long unwatered -

the tipping point at which
there is no justification.

No data on the ratio of confessors to denyers is available -
just yellow tape flapping in the wind around the crime scenes.

It always comes back to water,
about half of what we are.
John is over his head like every prophet
caught between drowning and frying
shouting at the wilted who know
they are beyond the point of return,
deferring to God
wading in,
springing out.