Today’s post contains a fable I wrote based on an internet gif and a compilation of river photos. The lesson is: Believe what they tell you.
Upriver
Strange things happen upriver.
A gnu says to his friend.
“Do you see that tree trunk?
It’s not that at all.
It’s a croc.”
“Yeah, yeah, for sure,”
replies his friend.
“It’s a trunk. For us to step on
and cross the river.
It’s what we do.”
“No, no,” says the first.
“What we do is
we get eaten
when we step on a croc.
I’ve seen it done.”
There is a short
staring contest.
The first gnu
sighs a little
and looks at the trunk,
or is it a croc.
It seems peaceful,
the perfect foothold.
He is the leader of the pack,
he has to act.
He steps.
The croc,
for that’s what it is,
makes one swift move,
and the gnu is no more.
His friend blinks and stares.
The river is calm again.
He turns to the next gnu in line,
motions to the trunk and says:
“It’s a croc.”
The next gnu,
not having seen or heard a thing,
stops drinking,
looks at the croc and says:
“It’s a trunk.”
And now I might as well take you to my rivers. No crocs or gnus available. Not all the photos below were shot upriver, sometimes I’m not even sure in which direction the river flows, but here are more or less ten rivers from Italy and Slovenia, as is my habit, with more or less two photos of each.
Let’s start in Firenze. The famous Ponte Vecchio on the Arno river. Over to Rome and the island on the Tiber with the maternity hospital. The Ponte Cestio bridge leads to the island. Similar effect in one of the oldest Slovenian towns, Škofja Loka: The Capuchin Bridge over the Selška Sora river. The reflection caught my eye and I had to click again. I’ve showed you river Soča (Isonzo) already some posts back. I’ve found the perfect house on it in Most na Soči. Further upriver (actually, downstream) is Kanal na Soči and they jump into it. It’s clean enough. A rarity these days. The Ljubljanica river almost in the centre of the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana. This family decided this one was clean enough too. I wouldn’t be too sure. No, it’s not a croc, it’s a CD-Head! Run! Ljubljanica gets four photos. Because it’s pretty. Jože Plečnik designed these arcades. Restaurant Ribca underneath. To the south of Slovenia: Žužemberk town and its Krka river. The view from Žužemberk Castle. Back to Italy. I crossed a bridge by chance, looked to the right and found Etruscan metropolis Vulci by chance. Fiora river beneath. Upstream Fiora (or is it downriver?). Bestia drank quite a bit of it and I had anxiety. It was early days in Italy. I thought everything was polluted but it’s not so bad yet. The view from Pitigliano and I haven’t descended yet to explore. Volunteers? It’s zoomed in heavily. Terme Saturnia and happy pest bathing. The closest “river”. Our whole area is full of such canals and nutrias. Can you see an egret? The sea is about 1 km to the left. To the other side. Or upriver. Or downstream.
In response to Patrick Jennings’ Pic and a Word Challenge #177: Upriver
Really nice – but where is Drava river with wiev from Baca’s window?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Sorry, I overlooked #168
LikeLiked by 1 person
bravo, you found it!
LikeLike
I was thinking of it but I posted it yet for this challenge. As you say, #168. Here: https://manjameximoving.wordpress.com/2019/01/06/pic-and-a-word-challenge-168-bridge-most/
LikeLike
Such a telling story – we all blindly follow the leader, but the leader doesn’t always know what to do and sometimes succumbs to peer pressure… Beautiful photos too. Except for the CD-Head: I’m going to have nightmares! 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, SMSW. I thought it was such a good parabola for our society. 🙂 Somebody must tell that CD-Head its new name, hehe.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You really are so good at writing 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ahhh! ❤ Thank you so much!!! You were my first reader on here. When I post my first book, you'll get a thank you. 😉 (No plans yet.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
🤗
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love Ponye Cestio bridge, and the reflections.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Deborah. A happy spring to you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful river gallery, Manja. I enjoyed your fable. Silly gnus. 😳
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hihi, silly gnus, indeed! 🙂 Thank you, Sylvia!
LikeLike
Lovely photos, especially of Slovenia (which is gently making its way up the “togo” list with every post of yours, it seems. 😉 )
And it’s sad that the new gnu will probably not get through because it won’t listen to the true gnu who, I assume, is meant to be you? =) Sweet fable. <chuckle>
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Patrick! Great, my strategy to open people’ eyes about Slovenia is working then!
Do you think this is what Madonna meant with #TrueGnuBabyILoveYou? 😀 Meanwhile I changed one word in the last stanza. I think now the last two stanzas work much better and the finale hits harder.
Thank you for spurring me into action, always.
LikeLike
I loved the poem!
LikeLike
That is a great fable! Great message and great story-telling! Loved it! And I love water photos. The reflections are amazing – worth the second click. I particularly like the circular reflections of the little arched bridges. Very cool!
LikeLike
Oh, Lindsay, I see now that three of your comments went to spam, and I have a feeling my comment to your latest amazing post about the tree stump ended in your spam too! If you check it, maybe you’ll find it. I’m so glad you’re having a hop around my blog. Feels good to have you on board. Thank you so much!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m definitely enjoying cruising around! I truly enjoy your perspective and I feel as if you always have something interesting to share! Thank you for welcoming me!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person