Two Little Dots
Earlier in 2025, I joined a group of friends in New Orleans at one of their houses for a writing event for a local library. It was a poetry or writing competition, I believe. Of course, I didn't think I'd get an entry, but it would be fun to write, which I haven't done much of besides the occasional blog post. I had an idea in mind and wanted to keep things abstract enough that people could read into it what they wanted, but not so much that it was lame. I don't know how I did, but I had fun.
Little Dots
There once were two little dots.
Off to one side, once bounces.
It likes to bounce up and down
and to dart from side to side.
Another dot changes shape and moves. It swings and flows. Normally, they bounce and flow alone, but when they're together, they love to play. They can do things together that they can't do alone.
While one bounces, the other will bend and stretch, and together they fly high into the sky. They will flow and stretch and play. The bouncing dot teaches the flowing dot to dart and the flowing dot teaches the bouncing dot to bend. Together they have so much fun.
One day a line appears. It can spin and swing. It's fast and strong. The dots try to play, but the bouncing and bending are too much for the line. It hits the dots. It wants them apart. To only bounce and dart, to only bend and flow. Not together and never both.
The dots try to play alone and the miss what they can't do when they're alone. They can't go high and far like the used to.
Sometimes they try to do what the other taught them, but the line hits them when it sees. Sometimes one will distract th line and the other will play like it learned from its friend.
It's hard to get away from the line. It's very fast and it won't leave. It's also stronger than either dot. They can't allow the line any further. But they can't stop it alone.
They wait for the line to be away and come up with a plan. The line is fast, but it cannot flow. It is also strong, but it cannot dart. One dot will bend around it while the other pushes it away. So the wait and when the line doesn't expect, they wrap and push, pull and move. But the line is fast. It does not want to leave. It was having fun.
After many tries, and the line escaping, they catch it. The line grows tired – it cannot escape.
We want to play like before! They say. No! says the line. I cannot bend and dart. It's not fun for me! But we cannot spin and swing like you can!
The dots try to convince the line to let them play together. It could be all three or just the two. It can leave and be alone, or play together with the dots. What will you choose?