
Science in meter and verse

Edited by Dava Sobel
When two rivers meet,
they often hesitate to combine.
The murky sediment load carried by one
retains its distance from
the clear blue-green of the opposite.
Every displays the colour
of the panorama it has carved,
typically with warning,
and typically with turbulence.
Steep canyon partitions bear witness
and scars of the regular descent
of water molecules pulled by gravity,
eroding crystals and grains, thirsty clay particles
that tumble and drift within the circulate.
The rivers emerge and meander
away from the rugged mountains
and towards one another,
starting to unburden their masses.
The distinct paths grow to be one,
and the denser stream geese below,
hiding its sedimentary previous
alongside the road of blending,
the place eddies take a look at the waters.
Clouds and readability
complement one another,
and, with time,
dispersion and mixing
shift the present into stability.
This text was initially printed with the title “Confluence” in Scientific American 328, 5, 24 (Could 2023)
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0523-24