precious

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Welling up from nowhere, fluid freshness
Snaking its way through the grass
Squelching underfoot and seeping
Through the stitching of my boots.

Clear, sweet liquid; fountain of life
Forming rivulets between the tussocks
And carrying tiny particles as it flows
Always downward; mind of its own.

Whispering, chattering, bubbling
With life, love, laughter
Skipping over pebbles and
Forcing crevices anew.

Water; slaking thirsts of plants
And animals alike: little rivers
Of refreshment joined by others
And swelling the ranks as it flows.

Widening, the trickle grows
Splashing over boulders and hiding
Fish within its eddies. Under-currents.
Swirling and twirling with coolness.

And suddenly down the steep slope
Falling a sweet cascade of sparkling light
And sound of rushing gurgles
Crashing down a precipice of stone.

And ever onwards always flowing along
The lowest path; rushing from mountain
To valley and slowing to sluggishness
As it meanders to the sea.

Water more precious than gold
Life saver of all; transparent and clear
Yet combining every colour of the rainbow
Promise of life from heaven to earth.

Words and photo copyright Englepip ©

via Daily Prompt: Rivulet

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Lopsided, faltering raggedy dolls

Stumbling forward with feeling

As though risen from the earth

After death.

Ironic that the rag dolls of slave children

Toiled over and sweated from scraps

Reflecting the roles of their bondslave parents

Should now be held up by pristine props

In a glass cabinet in an English mansion

Precious items for all to marvel at:

Valuable antiques belying the heritage

Of poverty and sometimes cruelty

From whence they came.

A surreal experience to see them

In this manner.

I recently visited The American Museum in Bath, Somerset, where period rooms from America have been lovingly recreated piece by piece to amplify different eras in the design and art of the American nation. It is well worth a visit. I was struck by these rag dolls and the way they hung lopsided within the cabinet. Strange they should end up as valuable items in a glass case here in England. Definitely a surreal experience.

via Daily Prompt: Surreal