Up to down

from

a height

gravitational attraction

a pebble

released

hurtles down

velocity increases

energy develops

kinetically

all that potential

we’d been waiting on

in a single decisive

moment

converted into action

direction, towards

largest, nearest mass

in it’s path lies

water, standing still

surface tension bristling

with dancing particles

of fluidity

and then the intersection

a set which includes a rock

another of a pond

the many subsets of which

consists of surface

light layer, silt, and bottom sludge

impact marks the change

velocity drops

water takes flight

energy transferred

ripples form, spreading

racing away carrying information

of an event

all of which is observed

from the shore

by a small girl

who thinks that the boy

in the tree

had poorly aimed a missile

at her

while he is just amused

to watch the effective

swallowing of a pebble

by the creek

fishing into his pocket

for yet another one to drop

she winces as he is oblivious

to the affect upon her

distance being far enough

for she has long since withdrawn

engrossed as he is in the world

out of earshot, he can not hear

her distain for his studious sport

and in the moment, fixated upon

the potential to fall into the quiet

still waters aside brother rocks.

Up to down was originally published in Nathan Eckenrode on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.