August 2, 2019 – The Brick Walk

“Flowing out” The little girl leaned towards the edge of the river. After the rains, the Saugatuck was swollen and gushed, alive, through its set course. From the watershed, the river meandered down through towns, till it reached Westport.

The little girl, standing at the edge of the river tossed a piece of a broken branch, a bit flat but of good size, as far as she could, towards the middle of the river. The branch elegantly floated on the water, like a feather that had just abandoned its egret.

The branch leisurely glided in the direction of the flow. The little girl ran along the edge of the river, through shrub thickets and grasses, following the branch it had gifted the river until she could no further advance.

She bid goodbye to her branch, as it was gently carried away by the current, wondering how far the branch would go. As the bough continued its undulating journey the flow slowed pace, but the wind kept ushering it along the Saugatuck, the “river that flows out”.

Past the bridge in Westport, the branch unwittingly docked by the Brick Walk green area, joining a lively canvass painting-like sunny afternoon scene, where a chorus of crows, in boisterous discussion -perhaps wondering where was the lady who sometimes spreads bread crumbs for the flying marvels that color the skies above the green space. People sitting on benches, enjoying the afternoon.

The bough did not stay caught at the river-edge for long, even though this was a good place to stay, “take root”. Some playful ducklings brushed against it, dislodging it. Well, it had a journey to complete anyway. As the wind picked up the pace, wafting to mid-river, the branch continued its downstream journey towards the end of the bubbling passage, where Sweet and Salt meet.

LM-LM