Robert Dunn
How to Walk on WaterSurface tension matters: so does
Specific gravity. And a good pair
Of water walking shoes, cleats
Being optional. In fact, cleats are
Discouraged—who wants water
With a lot of holes poked in it?
It promotes erosion as well.
You need a confident, relaxed
Step—not too quick, not too slow.
Let the toes do most of the work;
It’s a little like ballet in that respect.
It’s all actually based on Quantum
Physics—knowing how to micro-
Manage the electro-gravitational
Impulses of water molecules. After
All, they covered this in High School
Physics … or don’t you remember?
Anyway, just remember that you
Can’t start out on oceans or seas.
You have to work your way up.
Begin with paper cups, ink blots,
Mud puddles, commodes. brooklets.
Intermediate students tackle bayous
And broad, placid rivers. Be sure to
Take in the Exhibition Matches
And Olympic Trials at Sand Castle
Stadium at Atlantic City. I would
Demonstrate, but I had to retire from
Active competition after breaking
My ankle—I tripped over a rippling
Riptide off Rockaway Point. I was
Never so embarrassed in all my life.
Robert Dunn is the editor of Medicinal Purposes Literary Review, the erstwhile host of the Poet to Poet cable television show, and has appeared in such publications as Krax, Imago, Mobius, Art Times; Rattapallax, Nomad’s Choir, Critical Perspectives in Accounting (go figure), and Pegasus. His full-length collections of poetry include Zen Yentas in Bondage, Guilty as Charged, Cannon Fodder (Cross-Cultural Literary Editions, Inc., Merrick NY); Playing in Traffic (Founders Hill Press, Prescott AZ); Sunspot Boulevard (Xlibris, Philadelphia PA); and Horse Latitudes (iUniverse.com).
