Poem: Ode to Sweat by Delaney Kaeb

After a long day of fun

Being outside in the sun

There’s one thing keeping me cool

         Though it is a liquid

It’s not found my swimming pool

Taken for granted

          Almost always wiped away

         But if it were not here

        We would not be alive today

         Composed of almost all water    

         A few chemicals here and there

        It comes out of our bodies

      Just like pieces of hair

        It can stain our clothes

      It can make us smell

         But both of those will go away

       If you wash yourself well

It boosts your endorphins

Detoxifies your body too

So you don’t get sick

With things like the flu

Kidney stone risk is lowered

And your zits go away

So there are some benefits

Among the prices we have to pay

It happens when you exercise

Comes out everywhere, even your feet

And if you’ve ever tasted it

You know it tastes salty, not sweet

By now you must know

I’m talking about sweat

And you probably learned

Some things you didn’t know yet

So the next time you’re out in the sun

And you wipe your forehead

Or you’re tired after a workout

And hop into bed

Remember sweat is your friend

And not your foe

And it deserves a thank you

For it’s stinky flow