First some definitions :
Surface tension: a fine film on the surface of the water
Waterboatmen/ water striders : small insects such as waterboatmen can ‘walk on water’ because their weight is not enough to penetrate the water.
Image courtesy of flickr
Poem : I watch the Waterboatmen
They skim with grace, darting freely along
Held up by the magic of surface tension.
I must be — busy — busy — busy
I must hurry, I’m late for whatever keeps me busy.
Need to spin my own surface tension,
Or, I will sink, oh no, I will drop beneath the surface,
into the dark depths of the water.
Into a realisation of my own mortality.
One glimpse is enough, just now, thank-you
Enough to know that it’s there.
April 7, 2017 at 5:32 pm
The 20-th century artist Charley Harper depicted wildlife with simple hard-edged geometric designs that also displayed many details of behavior and field marks. Water striders were among his many endearing subjects. Throwing
“water strider” “Charley Harper”
at a search engine like Google is a convenient way to get an overview of his distinctive body of work.
April 9, 2017 at 5:27 pm
Thank you for telling me about Charley Harper & his work – all new to me. I shall Google him. Like the sound of his way of depicting wildlife. I like images – even try drawing some. Not wildlife as yet, mostly people and my dog.
March 16, 2017 at 6:51 am
Hey there Francine! I found your blog today, and I’m nominating you for That’s So Jacob’s March Blog Madness! It’s simple: find five interesting blogs today, copy and paste this comment to theirs, and give them a follow! Have a great day and if you’re so inclined, kindly come visit me over at http://www.thatssojacob.wordpress.com. Have fun spreading the blog love this month!