We own a pond; mottled bluebottle, flecked in freckles when the sunlight skims the surface between the moss.
I dip a finger inside and stir. A nebula swills, swirling like a whisk of spilt oil from a water spot sometimes found underneath a car.
My fist plunges in, embalming a gulp; moss bandages around the orb that, withdrawing in drips, I see a new world set alight upon it.
Patina: noun 1. a film or incrustation, usually green, produced by oxidation on the surface of old bronze and often esteemed as being of ornamental value.
2. a similar film or colouring appearing gradually on some other substance.
3. a surface calcification of implements, usually indicating great age.