Pond Life

By Richard Mather

If water is the primal origin of all things

(as the ancient Greek sage

Thales of Miletus supposed),

then considering how hard it is

to wade through,

it must also be oil and pitch,

mercury and salt,

sulphur too,

with differing degrees of power

and viscosity, all stirred up and blended

into a huge pool

of liquid substance, thick enough

to get yourself stuck in.

But don’t call on the old gods and nymphs

of Thales’ day

to be your life guards.

They won’t jump in and save you

when you can’t move your legs

or catch your breath.

They just sit around

the pond

like so many frogs, puffing

themselves up and croaking

in the pleasant Mediterranean sun.