Destiny & Other Fates

“Destiny

des-ti-ny; noun
1. something to which a person or thing is destined; fortune
2. a predetermined course of events often held to be an irresistible power or agency

synonyms see fate.

Fate- 2 entries found.
1. fate; noun
2. fate; transitive verb

1) the will or principle or determining cause by which things in general are believed to come to be as they are or events to happen as they do
2a) an inevitable and often adverse outcome, condition, or end;
2b) disaster-especially death
3a) final outcome
3b) the expected result of normal development.
3c) the circumstances that befall someone or something
4) plural capitalized- the three goddesses who determine the course of human life in classical mythology.

synonyms fate, destiny, lot, portion, doom mean a predetermined state or end.
Fate implies an inevitable and usually an adverse outcome
Destiny implies something foreordained and often suggests a great or noble course or end.”.

WE DREAM OF FLYING (ICARUS)

So many of us, even I,
Even I, who have spent my life up in the air.
I dream of flying.

Last night I fell asleep and dreamed that
I fell asleep dreaming overnight I had grown wings
and in the morning I woke up and flew away.

At first, they were like butterfly wings
all light and air,
but as I dreamed, I thought,
Those wings will never hold me.

So instead I dreampt of
Black bird wings.
Big, glorious, Raven feathers
sprouting from that sexy spot between my shoulders,
Strong enough to carry me off...

Last night I dreampt-
I stepped off my roof and flew away
into the blue bird skies
on big black wings and
never looked back.

The Servant and The Silks

    Once Upon A Time there lived a very beautiful and very unhappy Princess. She was unhappy because every Prince in the kingdom had fallen in love with her. While this would make most  any  woman happy, the Princess did not love any of them back, and so, to her it only brought great sadness and worry.

    Every day, men would journey from miles around to come to her window with gifts and tokens for her. They would read her poetry and set off in her name to perform great deeds of bravery and courage. They would call to her, “Beautiful Princess, I love thee more than any other man, and upon my return I will win your heart and carry you away to be my Bride!” This was all a very wonderful display but none of the gifts or poems touched her heart and no man moved her spirit at all. She went to bed every night with a heavy heart, worried she would never know what true love was.

    One day the Princess was walking through the market when she happened upon an old crone selling the most beautiful reams of silk.

    “You seem unhappy Princess. Some silks to cheer you..?” asked the old woman. “You are the Princess and so you may have any one that makes you happy.”

    “I do not know if I will ever be happy,” said the Princess, “ I will never fall in love.”, she sighed. “Besides, I would hardly know which to choose, they are all so beautiful..”. The old crone rose to her feet with great labor and hobbled along, plucking three lengths of silk from her table.

    “Well, my Princess, these three are my finest. Not only will they bring you happiness, but true love for certain. This one, “ she said, holding out a length of royal blue silk, “is the strongest of them all. This one, “ she continued, holding out a length of gold silk, “is the brightest of them all, and this one is the warmest of them all,”, she croaked, fluttering a length of red silk towards the Princess. “Take these three. Lay one on your bed every night for the next three nights, and on the fourth day bring me back the ones you do not want and keep your favorite.”

    The Princess pondered the idea. She did not know how silk would bring her happiness or find her true love, but there seemed no harm in trying out each to see which was her favorite. She agreed and bid the old woman good day.   

    As the Princess returned to the castle she came upon one of her servants. He was a fine young man, and like all the fine young men of the Kingdom, was deeply in love with the beautiful Princess. He knew she did not care for him, but he wished every day for a way to win her heart.

    “Boy-” called the Princess.

    “Yes, my Lady?” asked the boy.

    “Take these silks to my room. I wish to test them to find the best. For the next three nights I wish to sleep on each one. Tonight, lay out the blue silk across my bed and then leave me to my slumbers.” she said. The servant boy nodded in response and cast his eye towards the floor. As the Princess passed him the hem of her gown brushed the top of his shoe and he watched her walk away down the hall. She was so beautiful and so unhappy it brought a tear to his eye. He swore some day he would find a way to make her smile.

    That night the boy did as the Princess had asked and laid the blue silk across her bed, but he was so driven by his love for her he could not bear to leave her room. Instead he hid himself in her wardrobe and waited to watch the Princess sleep.Unaware of the boy, the Princess slipped between her sheets onto the blue silk,

    “My, this is the strongest silk I have ever touched,” she admired, and with that, the Princess fell into slumber.

    Only moments had passed when suddenly there was a great light that filled the room. The boy hiding in the wardrobe had to shield his eyes for fear he might go blind. When he looked again a tall and handsome Prince dressed all in blue silks was standing at the sleeping Princess’ bedside.

    “Princess!” cried the boy, leaping from his hiding spot. The Princess awoke with a start and the mysterious Prince leapt across the room and snatched the boy up by his shirt collar.

    “What is going on?!” cried the Princess.

    “I am the strongest Prince in all the land!” laughed the handsome man in blue, “and this scoundrel tried to attack you!” he boomed, shaking the boy like a rag doll.

    “No!No! Princess,“ begged the boy, “I was merely checking on you and your safety and found this strange man had appeared in your room!”

    “You are a liar, Boy! If there is a man in my chambers then obviously I have requested him there!” said the Princess though, indeed, she did not know where the Prince had come from. “Now go away! You have disturbed my sleep!” she said and with that the Prince cast the boy from the room with one mighty throw.

    Left alone with the Prince, the Princess said,

    “My, you must be very strong to throw a man such a great distance.”

    “Indeed Princess, I am the strongest ever made. I have battled great beast and dragons, and fought hundreds of men, whole armies, all by myself. If you’ll marry me, I’ll build you the strongest castle, and keep you locked safe behind the strongest doors, so no harm will ever come to you.” The Princess looked at the Prince in blue silk.

    “But if I am to be locked up, how will I enjoy the world?” she asked of him.

    “Why, the world is a dangerous place you silly girl. What need would you have of it when I would be there to make you happy.” he replied.

    This answer made the Princess unhappy. Though he was handsome and strong she did not wish to be locked away from the world when there were so many beautiful things in it to see.

    “I do not think that will make me happy.” sighed the Princess and with that the strong Prince vanished, leaving only a pile of blue silk where he stood.

    The Princess awoke very unhappy the next morning. She passed the servant boy who loved her and said to him,

    “Change the silks on my bed, boy. Tonight I wish to sleep on the gold silk, and I better not catch you spying on me again or I will have you hung for your bold ways.”. The servant boy nodded in response and cast his eye towards the floor. As the Princess passed him he could smell her sweet perfume and he watched her walk away down the hall. She was so beautiful and so unhappy it brought a tear to his eye. He swore some day he would find a way to make her smile.

   

    That night he changed the silks as he had promised, and though he knew she would kill him if she found him, he could not resist the urge to hid again in her wardrobe. He feared that if one strange Prince could find his way into her bed chambers, perhaps another would do so as well.Unaware of the boy, the Princess slipped between her sheets, this time onto the gold silk,

    “My, this is the brightest silk I have ever seen,” she admired, and with that, the Princess fell into slumber.

    Only moments had passed when, again, there was a great flash of  light that filled the room. This time when the boy looked back a tall and handsome Prince dressed all in gold silks was standing at the sleeping Princess’ bedside. This time the boy knew better than to cry out and so he stayed hidden and silent.

    The Princess woke and looked up at the Prince. He was more handsome than the strong prince had been, and he greeted her with a smile,

    “O, beautiful Princess- I have come to write endless poems in your honor, as I am the smartest Prince in all the land. I have learned all the things there are to know in the world and have read all the books ever written by man. If you’ll marry me and be my bride I’ll teach you the secrets of the entire universe.” he said.

    The Princess pondered his offer. He sounded like so many of the other men in the town, praising her beauty with long, dull, poetry.

    “What if I wish to learn the secrets of the universe myself?” she asked of him. To this he replied with a frown,

    “You are too beautiful and delicate to wander the world, sticking your nose into things you know nothing about. I will teach you and it will be better that way.”

    This made the Princess very unhappy. She was certain no man could teach her the secrets of the universe better than she could learn them for herself.

    “I do not think that will make me happy.” sighed the Princess and with that the smart Prince vanished, leaving only a pile of gold silk where he stood.

    The next morning the Princess awoke more unhappy than she had ever been. She was certain she would never get another peaceful nights rest with all these mysterious Princes coming and going, and she was growing increasingly sure that she would never find true love. She passed the servant boy who loved her and said to him,

    “Change the silks on my bed, boy. Tonight I wish to sleep on the red silk, and I better not catch you spying on me or I will have you hung for your bold ways.” The servant boy nodded in response and cast his eye towards the floor. As the Princess passed him a tendril of  her long hair tickled the back of his hand and he watched her walk away down the hall. She was so beautiful and so unhappy it brought a tear to his eye. He swore some day he would find a way to make her smile.

   

    That night he changed the silk on her bed and took his place hiding in the Princesses wardrobe. The boy anticipated she would be visited by another mysterious Prince and this time he had a plan. Tonight when the Prince vanished, the boy would reveal himself to the Princess and confess his true love for her. Unaware of the boy, the Princess slipped between her sheets, this time onto the red silk,

    “My, this is the warmest silk I have ever been wrapped in,” she admired, and with that, the Princess fell into slumber.

    As with the previous nights, only a few moments passed when the great light filled the room. When the light faded a tall and handsome Prince dressed all in red silks was standing at the sleeping Princess’ bedside.

    “Princess,” whispered the Prince in red, “wake up..” he said and kissed her rosy mouth. The Princess snapped her eyes open and sat upright in her bed. She looked at the Prince, who was by far the most handsome, and said,

    “Who do you think you are?”. The Prince laughed to himself and sat on her bed, taking his hand in hers.

    “Dear, sweet, beautiful Princess, I am the most romantic Prince in all the land. I have loved many women, I have kissed many lips, I have broken many hearts. If you will marry me and be my bride I will keep you in bed all the day long on the most luxurious sheets of velvet and cover you in kisses every second of every minute of every hour.”

    The Princess frowned and thought for a moment.

    “What if I do not wish to lie in your bed for the rest of my life?” she asked. He shook his head and pinched her cheek,

    “You are so beautiful, it is obvious you are meant to adorn my bed. It is where you belong and where you will be happiest.” he said.

    This made the Princess very unhappy. She was certain there was more life than lying in bed all day being smothered by kisses.

    “I do not think that will make me happy.” sighed the Princess and with that the romantic Prince vanished, leaving only a pile of red silk where he stood. Now the Princess began to weep,

    “Three nights, three silks, three Princes, and still I am unhappy! I will never find true love!” she sobbed. Quietly, the humble servant boy emerged from his hiding place,

    “Princess...” he said. She looked up at him, her face streaked with tears.

    “O, boy, what do you want of me?! Did I not tell you I would have you killed for your spying! No go away and leave me to my sorrows, please!” she yelled. He stepped toward the Princess and kneeled down at her bedside.

    “Please Princess, I have something I must say to you. I know I am not a Prince. I am not the strongest man in the land, nor the smartest, nor the most romantic, but I have watched you every day in your sadness and I have sworn I would find a way to make you happy. If you’ll marry me and be my bride I promise to let you enjoy the world, and learn the secrets of the universe yourself, and do more than adorn my bed. I also promise to protect you and keep you safe, to share with you the things I learn and the things I do not know, and I promise to tell you how much I love you every night before you slip into slumber and to kiss your cheeks in the morning when you awake. I am just your humble servant, my Princess, and I promise to love and serve you everyday, whether you come to love me back or not.”, and with that the boy wiped the tears from her cheeks and began to walk from her room, leaving only an empty space where he stood.

    “Boy!” she called after him, “Come back or you will make me most unhappy!”. The servant boy who loved her returned to her chamber.

    “Come sit by me.” she said. He did as she asked. “You know I could have you killed for spying on me?” she asked.

    “I do not care, my Princess. I would die to see you smile.”

    “You do not think such a thing is foolish?” she asked.

    “Nothing done out of true love is foolish, my Princess, not even to die.”

    “You would risk your life to tell me how you love me?” she asked.

    “A man in love must never hide his feelings, my Princess, even if it will cost him his life...” said the boy, “I love you, my Princess, and I only wish to see you smile.”

    The Princess thought about this for a moment.

    “What if I do not wish to smile?” asked the Princess.

    “Then I suppose I will not smile either.” said the boy.

    This made the Princess very unhappy. She liked to see the boy smile, as he had a warm face and a kind laugh, and she would hate to think her unhappiness caused him unhappiness too.

    “I do not think that will make me happy,” sighed the Princess, “so we will have to smile and be happy together..” she said. At the sound of her words the servant boys heart filled with such love that a light flashed through the room, so bright, the Princess had to shield her eyes. When she looked again, her servant boy had been transformed into a Prince dressed in the finest silks of blue and gold and red.

    “O, my Prince!” she said, and a smile spread across her face, “I never thought I would find you!”

    “My beautiful Princess, I have been hiding here all along.” he said, and with that the tall, handsome, strong, smart, romantic Prince kissed the happy, smiling, beautiful Princess and they  vanished in a flash of light, leaving only this story behind.

The Story of Oil and Water

    Once Upon A Time when the World was new and all the things in it lived more harmoniously together, Oil and Water were very fond of each other. They could spend hours together and it brought them great joy being in each others company. Oil would say to Water,

    “Don’t you love how we can mix together so easily, even though we are different?” and Water would agree. Then Water would say to Oil,

    “I hope we stay like this forever.” and Oil would agree.

   

    The days of the World grew greater and greater, and everything in it became less and less new and less and less and less harmonious together.Gravity began to pull things against each other. Cats and Dogs were no longer friends, Bird and Fish no longer chatted at the banks of the River. Even the Sun and the Moon began using the sky separately as so not to have to speak to one another. A great divide between all living things began, and even Oil and Water felt the strain. One day, Water looked at Oil and said,

    “You do seem to be weighing rather heavily upon me these days. Perhaps you should let me float on top of you for a while.” This hurt Oils feelings,

    “What do you mean I weigh on you?”, asked Oil, “Has it ever occurred to you that I get tired of holding you up all the time?”

    “Why must we always bicker like this Oil,” asked Water, weary of their increasingly frequent arguments, “We always used to get along so well!”. Oil thought about this for a moment and then replied,

    “Things have changed.”.

    “Do you think they will ever go back to the way they were?” ask Water.

    “I do not know.” said Oil. “Maybe it is best if we separate for a while... Maybe someday we’ll float back together again naturally, like we once did.” This made Water sad.

    “I will miss you Oil.” said Water.

    “I will miss you too, Water.” said Oil.

    So Oil and Water separated. They spent days apart, and days turned into weeks, and the World got older and older and Gravity pulled harder and harder on all the things in it. One day Water called to Oil,

    “Oil, I still miss you so!!” and Oil called up to Water,

    “Water, I still miss you too!! Perhaps we should try to mix together now? Perhaps things have changed again?” Oil said hopefully, and so they threw themselves against one another, but no matter how hard they tried they could not mix together as they once did. After many tries, Water called to Oil,

    “Oil...I’m afraid we no longer fit together..”. Oil sighed and settled back to the bottom,

    “I’m afraid so, Water... I am sorry. I’ve tried everything I can think of.”.

    “We did the best we could, old friend.”, said Water, “I am sorry too.”.

    That day the force of Gravity became so great on them that they could no longer even speak a sound, and Oil and Water have been separated ever since.

The Rose and The Thorns

    Once upon a time there was a beautiful garden, and in the very center of that garden was a beautiful rose bush, and at the very top of that rose bush grew the most beautiful rose ever created. Every day people and animals would come to see her and admire her beauty, but every time they tried to get close to the rose or touch her they found themselves pricked and wounded by the sharp thorns hiding beneath her petals. One day, increasingly annoyed by this, the Rose called down to the Thorns,

    “Excuse me, but do you mind? People adore me and they’d like to touch me, so if you wouldn’t mind ceasing to cut them and cause them pain, I’d be ever so grateful.” To this the Thorns replied,

    “Sorry, Lady, but we’re just doing what we’re meant to do.”

    “Well!” huffed the Rose, “Such nasty little things you are, its no wonder nobody likes you! It is just awful that we are part of the same bush!”. The Thorns laughed at this and called back,

    “Well if you don’t like being part of the bush, go ahead and jump! See how well you get along without us!”

    The Rose, who was terribly vane and terribly conceited, thought to herself, what do I need the rest of this bush for anyhow? So she plucked herself free from her stem and jumped towards the ground where she fell amongst the grass and the leaves. It was very cold on the ground, and The Rose could not feel the wind in her petals or the sun on her face. People passed by the bush and noticed the Beautiful Rose was gone,

    “What a shame...” they said, and continued on their way. The Rose tried to call up from the ground,

    “I’m down here! I’m down here! You can touch me now!” but no one heard her or noticed her. This caused the Rose such sadness that within a few days she withered and died from a broken heart.

    When news of the Roses death finally traveled from the bottom of the bush up to the top, the Thorns sighed and shook their heads,

    “It’s a sad thing. She was so beautiful.”, said one to the other. To which another Thorn replied,

    “She brought it on herself. If she could have accepted that we were a part of her,  she’d still be up here being admired today.”

The Rope and The Ladder

    Once Upon A Time there was a fair maiden who lived locked away at the top a very tall tower. She was in love with a handsome Prince, as most women locked atop tall towers are, and every day the Prince would ride to her window and call up to her,

    “O Fairest Maiden, come to your window! It is I, your Prince, bearing gifts for you!”.  At the sound of his call the fair maiden would rush to her window and look down upon his handsome face,

    “O my Prince, how long the hours seem between our visits!” she would call back. They spent every afternoon conversing about their plans to escape and at the end of every visit the Prince would hold up a long strand of twine and a great black raven would fly from the forest and snatch the string from his hand, then fly it up to the fair maiden at the top of her tower. With each length of twine the handsome Prince brought her, the fair maiden would weave another loop of rope, which, when it was long enough, she could climb down.

 

    On the afternoon of the ropes completion the Prince arrived at dusk at the base of the tower.

    “O Fairest Maiden, come to your window! It is I, your Prince, finally come to take you away!” cried the Prince, his heart bursting with joy at the very thought. The fair maiden rushed to her window and stared down at her Prince.

    “I am going to lower the rope now and climb down to you, my love!” she sighed. Then the maiden tied one end of the rope to her bedpost and dropped the heavy coils out the window. As she gazed toward the ground she suddenly became very uneasy,

    “My Prince!” she called, “It is a very long way down! What if I slip and fall?” she asked.

    “I will catch you!” he sang back to her. Still, the fair maiden was becoming increasingly unsure of her plans. She sat on the window ledge and let her feet hang in the air.

    “Where will we go?” she asked nervously.

    “What?” asked the Prince, growing more puzzled by her hesitance.

    “Where will we go?! Where will we live!?” she cried, the panic rising in her voice.       

    “We will go anywhere!” said the Prince, “We will live anywhere! We will be together and all will be right in the world!”

    “But what if that is not enough!?” shrieked the maiden, who suddenly lost her balance and tumbled off her perch. As she fell she grabbed frantically at the rope, her palms slippery with sweat, and cried out,

    “I’ll never make it! I cannot do this! What am I to do now?!”.The maiden was certain that all hope was lost.

    The Prince stood, horrified, at the base of the tower starring up at his love who now dangled perilously between the window and the ground,

    “My love-” he sighed with tears in his eyes, “it seems you only have two choices now. You can hang yourself with that rope, or use it as a ladder. Please climb down to me. Have faith that I will catch you if you fall.”. His words floated up to the ear of the frightened maiden and calmed her heart instantly. She took a deep breath and lowered herself  into the arms of her waiting Prince. When she was safe again she said,

    “I had never planned to fall..” and the handsome Prince replied,

    “i had always planned to catch you.”, and then he kissed her sweetly, placed her on his mighty steed, and they rode off into the unknown horizon, together.

The Prince & The Pearl

    Once Upon a Time there lived a very Charming Thief and a very Beautiful Liar who happened upon each other  one day while crossing the same bridge.

    “Good Day, “ said the Charming Thief. The Beautiful Liar nodded,

    “Good Day to you Sir.”

They smiled at each other as they crossed the old wooden bridge together.            “Headed to town?” asked the Thief.

    “I suppose it would appear that way” said the Liar, not wanting to give up her secrets. The Charming Thief smiled a charming smile at her.

    “Why won’t you tell me where you are going?” he asked.

    “Because, “said the Liar, “I know you are a Thief and you may follow me to my home and rob me of my possessions.”

The Thief laughed and shook his head,

    “You may fool some men but I know the truth. You just do not wish to share your secrets with me.”. This embarrassed the Beautiful Liar which caused her to blush.

    “You are very Beautiful,” said the Thief with a small smile, “but you are also a Liar.”

To this statement the Beautiful Liar replied,

    “Well you are very Charming, but you are a Thief!”

    “No one is perfect.” said the Charming Thief. “Since we are both headed to town, on the same road, I suggest we keep each other company.”

    “What if  do not like your company?” asked the Liar.

    “I think you do.” He replied. This made her smile. She did like his company.

    So The Charming Thief and The Beautiful Liar continued on together, sharing conversation, enjoying the landscapes on the way. They talked a bit about their past and a bit of their dreams for the future. They stopped to eat along the banks of a small river. He picked her a flower. She picked him an apple.

    “It is still a long walk to town, and I am tired from the mornings journey. Do you mind if I rest a while in the shade of this tree? The grass is so cool and I feel as though I may have wonderful dreams..” said the Beautiful Liar, stretching back to rest her head in her hands. The Charming Thief looked at her. She was very Beautiful and she wore a single pearl strung on a long silver chain about her neck.

    “Yes, I think a rest is due. May I lie beside you while you sleep?” he asked her. She nodded dreamily as he came to rest next to her.

    “Where were you going when we met on the bridge?” he whispered into her ear.

    “I was on my way to the castle, “said the Liar, “to meet the Prince and be his Bride. Some day I will live in the highest room of the tallest tower and look out over the entire country side. I will have fine gowns made of silk and precious treasures made of silver and sweet milk and honey for breakfast every morning and I shan’t ever be unhappy or have to do anything I dislike ever again..” she sighed. This was a lie. The truth was she was only on her way to the mill to buy grain for baking bread, but she was a Liar with a great streak of vanity, and did not want the Charming Thief to think she was common or plain.

    “Is that the truth?” he asked her.

    “Yes.” she replied and slipped into slumber.

The Charming Thief lay awake next to her and pondered what to do next. He did not know if what she had said was true. He liked the Beautiful Liar and wanted to sleep beside her and kiss her rosy cheeks when she awoke, but if she were to be married to the Prince then what would she want with him, a marked criminal, and if it were not true then she was lying to him. The thought filled him with rage and unhappiness as he did not like to be made a fool. Confused about what to believe, he did the only thing that seemed natural to a Charming Thief. While she slept, he slipped the necklace from her neck and made off into the sunset with her pearl.

    When the Beautiful Liar awoke it had grown dark and the stars in the sky had appeared. She was cold and damp from the dew on the grass, and she was alone. The Charming Thief was no where to be seen.

    “Hello?” she called into the dark. There was no reply. She wondered why he had left? It seemed as though they were enjoying each other. Even if he was a Thief, he was indeed charming, and handsome, and he had made her laugh. It was only as she stood up and dusted herself off  that she noticed her necklace was gone.

    “O, no!” she cried, “He has stolen my pearl!” and she sank to the ground weeping, “I never should have trusted him.”

   

    The sad, Beautiful Liar walked the rest of the way to town alone. When she got there she stopped at the Tavern for food and warmth. Seated at the Tavern Bar was the Charming Thief. Furiously she marched over to him,

    “You took my pearl!” she yelled.

    “You’re off to be a Princess, you’ll have plenty of pearls.” scoffed the Charming Thief.

    “No!” she said, “That was a gift to me from my mother! It is most dear to me!”

    “It is only a trinket. Your Prince will buy you all the pearls in the ocean.” he said .

    “It is no trinket and there is no Prince!” she cried, frustrated, “I was on my way to the mill when we met. I’m not to be married or a Princess! Now give me back my pearl, please!”

    “Why would you lie to me about such a silly thing?” He asked angrily.

    “Why would you steal my most valued possession?” she wept.

    “It is my nature...” said the Charming Thief.

    “As it is mine...” said the Beautiful Liar. A moment of silence passed between them.

    “I liked you before this.” he said to her.

    “I liked you before this, too.” she replied wiping her eyes, “May I have my necklace back now?” she asked.

    “No.” he said as he stood up, “I am keeping it to remind me of the Beautiful Liar I journeyed with one sunny afternoon, whom I might have loved one day.”

She watched him through tears as he walked to the door,

    “I never would have loved you!”. She lied.

    Her words cut him deeply and he flinched at the sound of them, but he did not stop or turn around to meet her eye, and, too proud to go after him, The Beautiful Liar let The Charming Thief slip away into the night . Many years later she still can’t help thinking of him every time her hand brushes the empty spot where her pearl would have hung.

Metro Snow Globe Madness

It's snowing to a fare-thee-well outside.

A New York City Blizzard. 

MetroWinterWonderLand.

Concrete Tundra of the Tri-State Area,

and we, All-Weather-Women, 

are out in our Nanook of the North finest.

I wear stripes in snow storms,
And tall rubber boots.
But I saw some women on the subway
in their patent leather heels,
and furs, and labels, still strutting their stuff
on the biggest runway of the world.
A New York City Blizzard,
and everyone was looking.

We are out there!
Lonely Soldiers of the Frozen
waiting for The Iron Horse Cavalries
and their electric shoe gallop.

We, brave and bold and glorious snow-bunny souls, 

we are out there in THIS!
A knee high drifting, corner jumping,
slush throwing, combustion driven world...

A New York City Blizzard.

Umbrellaphobia

"Hey Baby-" I said, 

"It's one of those wet winter Tuesdays in New York,

where your converse get soaked and you pass out on the subway and people vanish from Facebook 

and you don't even notice right away.."

What?

"Bundle up and stay dry," I told her, 

"I love you."

Then she asked me to weekend mad hatter tea parties

and I told her to kiss you once for me but 

not to tell you.

And I played peer editor and read her desires for a college experience that eluded most of us

but didn't rain on her parade. 

Because it's hard, on Tuesdays like these, 

to know which way you're walking or where you're going,

Or where you came from?

Something about the wet and the rain and all those

Black, bloody, umbrellas out there,
threatening eye balls across the boroughs.

You know there's no name for an irrational fear of umbrellas?

I'm settled on umbrellaphobia, but trust me, that's not it.

No, that's not it.

Then she asks me why I'm passing out on subways,

I tell her it's not me, it's you, I just talk about it.

What?

"Bundle up and stay dry," she tells me, 

"I love you."

DAISY PUSHING BUCKET KICKING

I’m not dying.

Not immediately at any rate, though we are all marching steadily towards dust and ash and air.
I’m not dying today.
But if I were dying-
And it’s important to think about this-


If this was my last day on earth…..


I’d leave all the money in my pocket to the waitress who brings me my coffee
And
I’d take off work to stay home and play with my dog in the grass
And
I’d drink martinis until I figured out how I like them
And
I’d tell you I love you.
And
I’d visit all the museums in New York
And
I’d stuff myself with junk food and candy
And
I’d wish that I’d seen more of America, and more of the world.
And
I’d dress to the nines and be glad I spent my paychecks on shoes and shiny things.
And
I’d go dancing
And
I’d tell you I love you again
And
I’d leave something behind,
Something more than an empty space.
So you could know after I was gone that I had been there.


I‘m not dying...
But perhaps with such a long to-do list,
I should live as if I were.

Dreams of My Father;

The past few nights I've been dreaming of my father.
The first night we lived in a world of trains-
a maze of tracks winding around the city.
He worked in a factory where they massed produced women who looked like me. 

I couldn't get him to pay attention to me.
He was too busy talking on his cell to even notice me.
He looked right through me.
He walked right past me.
And I ran after him, wanting to tell him something important. 
I chased after him, following the twist of the electrified third rail. 
Trying to get him to turn around. To look at me.
And finally, steps from the platform, he did turn and I was trailing in his wake,
and I yelled something-
Something important,
and he looked at me from across the distance and said nothing.
Then he turned and kept on walking 
and I woke up.


In the second dream he looked the same,
tall and dark in a woolly trench coat,
but there was no factory of women, there was no city of trains.
I kept getting text messages from him written in gibberish. 
Letters that should have made words 
but instead just scrambled themselves into nonsense.

And last night he was there again,
though most of it I've forgotten now.
Except the end.
I was sad, sitting on a curb with my feet in the gutter.
He was behind me when put his hand on my shoulder 
and asked me in a tone I've never heard him use, 
"Lulu, do you have peace in your heart?"
The tears of my dream self to my dream father when I told him, "No.."  
were so real that I woke up with the taste of salt on my lips.


Maybe he gave me advice I couldn't remember upon waking. 
Maybe the advice is there in the question. 
I wish he did care, the way he did in my dream.
I wish he would come around and tell me, 
"Lulu, you are beautiful and you should be happy and you should be loved. You deserve the world."
and I wish it didn't bother me that he won't..