Water shapes the world. Rivers carve mountains and fill valleys, and human settlements have always grown up beside them. This piece explores the bond between rivers and cities using four writing styles:
The old river starts high in the cold mountains. Snow melts in the spring. Tiny drops join together and form a small stream.
The stream runs fast over gray stones, cutting through the green forest, singing a loud song.
After many miles, the stream slows down and enters a wide, flat valley. The water turns muddy and deep. A small fishing village sits on the left bank. Fifty years ago, the villagers fished from wooden boats, drank the cold water, and thanked the river for their food.
Then the city arrived. Men came with loud machines, cut down the trees on the bank, poured gray cement, and built tall walls of stone right at the water's edge.
The river tried to move, but the stone walls blocked its path. The water turned gray, carrying plastic bottles instead of leaves. The old song of the river faded into a quiet, heavy murmur beneath the noise of heavy traffic.
Look closely at the water today. It is not blue or green — it is the color of a wet slate roof.