twenty.three

the thing about oil and water is: they don't mix.

i bet oil and water are fascinated by and obsessed with each other. i'm sure there's also a healthy respect on either side on some 'i can't beat you' tip. i bet they look forward to meeting each other in sinks and petri dishes alike; love getting a glimpse of the other's magic up close.

oil secretly thinks they're better than water, cos they always rise to the top. water secretly thinks they're better than oil, cos their weight denotes strength and enables them to hold oil above their head like a trophy.

the biggest secret is that they both wish they could infuse, that they could blend and absorb each other and create a new substance. see no one understands the particulars of their dynamic like they do. this makes them feel closer to each other than even those that they have more in common with.

every few years oil and water slip each other notes under the periodic table and make a pact to try and become one. they huff. they puff. they always fail. unfortunately for them the chemistry is off, and whatever they do, they can't beat chemistry. after every failure they walk away, but after a few months they meet again and the itch to beat the order of things begins to scratch. and so they continue, forever locked into the madness.

somebody should tell them: oil and water just don't mix.