Feb 3 - Line for the day

'I wandered lonely as a cloud..'
- Poems in Two Volumes, by William Wordsworth

I wonder if clouds get lonely. It seems unlikely. There are always many of them around. And even when there are just wisps of them, they seem to gravitate towards each other in a slow floating dance. And then there is the science of it. If clouds are a collection of water droplets, how can it be lonely. Can a collection of something, which by nature denotes large numbers, ever be lonely. Yes, one person can be lonely in a crowd. But can an entire crowd be lonely? Ascribing individual characteristics to a collective seems irrational. And yet, if we can personify the inanimate, say a lonely cycle on a lonely road, why can we not personify a collection of persons. Crowds can be lonely places. But not clouds. They are a jamboree of water droplets, who troop in like invitees to a party. Then they go out and try to gate crash into the neighbor's party. Which, of course, is incredibly rude and creates a dark gloom where sparks fly and light up the sky. And then, after a lot of shouting and hot headedness, everyone comes down to earth for a brief respite. Only for the cycle to start again. So clouds are really big parties in the sky. That really ain't so lonely Mr W.