They came wishing to lose some kilos
Of the low confidence on their waists,
Paying dollars to a swanky ashram
To do something called a water fast.

Water fast? What is that? I asked.
You eat nothing, you drink nothing.
Except some water now and then.
And maybe salt for electrolytes.
Himalayan pink salt, mind you:
It’s got Potassium ions too.

Must be very effective, I thought,
Since outside the ashram walls
Sat the professional water-fasters,
Skinny and confidently shirtless
With little drinking bowls in hand,
The water gone, but the coins left
From when someone mistook them
For wish-fulfilling fountains.