Water is Magic

April 5, 2022

“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” (Loren Eisley)

A few moments of surf captured by Nancy Bo Flood.

A poem by Mary Oliver: “Lingering in Happiness” from Why I Wake Early:

 

After rain after many days without rain,

It stays cool, private and cleansed, under the trees,

And the dampness there, married now to gravity,

Falls branch to branch, leaf to leaf, down to the ground

 

Where it will disappear – but not, of course, vanish

Except to our eyes. The roots of the oaks will have their share,

And the white threads of the grasses, and the cushion of moss:

A few drops, round as pearls, will enter the mole’s tunnel;

 

And soon so many small stones, buried for a thousand years,

Will feel themselves being touched.

 

Let us continue Celebrating Water:

Dear reader, if you can hold a bit more, my closing comment in Water Runs Through This Book:

 Water is Beauty

The Navajo people share this story: Earth fell in love with Sky, and Sky with Earth. There was such joy! Their happiness filled the clouds with laughing, splashing rain.

What is it about water that makes people everywhere pause to listen and watch? In parks we look for ponds or a meandering creek. In cities we build fountains. Children laugh as they splash in the cool spray. Couples stroll and stand hand in hand, watching water. Water invites us to stop and reflect, and when we do, we feel refreshed. Often we experience a sense of wonder. In the evening on a beach, people watch the colors of the sea change from ruby-red to indigo. We wait in silence as a full moon rises through silver mist shrouding a volcanic lake.

And in the end, perhaps beauty is water’s deepest mystery.

And so, thank you, for listening, reading, and thinking about water ….

Water talking with water.

Nancy Bo Flood

As a fish-brain surgeon or a rodeo poem wrangler, I have loved stories. I strongly believe that words – in poetry or prose – help heal our hearts and give us new eyes to see the world. I was first a research psychologist studying brain development at the University of Minnesota and London University before following my passion – writing for children. Learn more...