One Of Earth's Tiny Wonders Poem by Denis Mair

I once saw one of the Earth's wonders*: two mineral springs from different depths meeting in the same small pool. In the clear water a gleaming line of micro-precipitates was suspended slightly beneath the surface, wavering lazily like a tiny snake, forming and reforming from moment to moment, hard to see at first but distinct after one's eyes adjusted, endowed with existence by the buffering of temperature and mineral gradients, treading water in a raised concavity that seemed fancifully scooped to form a chalice, half enclosed by a backdrop of dark limestone, with a flat open spot before it where a few viewers could stand. This attraction had been mentioned in a travelogue a century before I saw it. It was in a quiet spot along a mountain trail frequented only by a few walkers, because the crush of tourists did not seem interested in seeing a line wavering at the edge of visibility. My senses had been sharpened by a morning kiss and were ready to behold it with delight.
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*Note: The above is a description of a scenic wonder located in the mountains in the West Lake area of Hangzhou, China.