The many manifestations of water

“The sea refuses no river

And the river is where I am.”

— Pete Townshend, “All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes”

When water molecules gather, their identities are surrendered to the whole.

We have names for these communities of water molecules: ponds, oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, streams, brooks, waterfalls, pools, puddles, fjords, covers, geysers, creeks, rainfall, bays and inlets. We also have sewer channels, tsunamis, king tides, deluges, avalanches and ice storms.

Water groups have their apostles. Some people prefer a hot summer day around a concrete pool, some like an ocean beach, some...