prompt: glass all around, oct. 13 2007
bright eyes (if you steal her sunshine)
Links back to my blog because it was 7 pages long in word perfect and I didn't want to clog up this blog.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Bird Flu
“You don’t look too good”, my buddy says to me as he flies past. We are circling the park yet again. Now the leader is changing directions. We turn and go the other way. Moving together- rising, gliding, flapping harder to lift higher into the air. It was true. I did feel a little under the weather. But that was just it, this crazy weather kept changing. One day it was hot and the next could be so cold that I felt like my tail feathers would freeze right off! But what choice did I have? There is no such thing as calling in sick for a bird. So here I am with the rest of the flock.
The sun had recently made its way above the horizon, slowly spreading its light to the awakening world. The soft colors tinted the morning clouds. We flew together as one- one body, one accord. Then we landed in the uppermost branches of the tall redwoods that were on the perimeter of the park. What a vantage point this was! What a view! We could watch the slumbering neighborhood come to life. Of course the joggers were always out early, and those with not quite so much energy were doing their walking laps. And there is the Chinese exercise group- what's that called again? Oh yeah, Tai Chi. Here comes the whole parade of dog walkers with those crazy mutts pulling at their leashes, watching for squirrels to chase. Has any dog ever caught one? The kids are coming too, with their heavy book laden backpacks weighing them down on their way to another day of education. Most of them don’t look too enthusiastic, though. Poor teachers, what a job they have! Oh look, there’s even a couple on their way to the tennis courts for an early game. How can they play next to the distracting sound of the crossing guard’s whistle blowing every few seconds?
I usually enjoy watching this scene unfold before me every day. But today I feel a little off. Sitting way up here I actually begin to feel slightly dizzy. What an odd sensation! What could be the matter with me? Hope I didn’t eat a bad worm or something. Uh oh, the leader is looking to take flight again. I want to follow. My whole being longs to soar through the air and be a part of this flock. But my body is resisting. I just can’t do it.
“Hey”, I say to my friend. “I’m heading home. I think I have the flu.”
The sun had recently made its way above the horizon, slowly spreading its light to the awakening world. The soft colors tinted the morning clouds. We flew together as one- one body, one accord. Then we landed in the uppermost branches of the tall redwoods that were on the perimeter of the park. What a vantage point this was! What a view! We could watch the slumbering neighborhood come to life. Of course the joggers were always out early, and those with not quite so much energy were doing their walking laps. And there is the Chinese exercise group- what's that called again? Oh yeah, Tai Chi. Here comes the whole parade of dog walkers with those crazy mutts pulling at their leashes, watching for squirrels to chase. Has any dog ever caught one? The kids are coming too, with their heavy book laden backpacks weighing them down on their way to another day of education. Most of them don’t look too enthusiastic, though. Poor teachers, what a job they have! Oh look, there’s even a couple on their way to the tennis courts for an early game. How can they play next to the distracting sound of the crossing guard’s whistle blowing every few seconds?
I usually enjoy watching this scene unfold before me every day. But today I feel a little off. Sitting way up here I actually begin to feel slightly dizzy. What an odd sensation! What could be the matter with me? Hope I didn’t eat a bad worm or something. Uh oh, the leader is looking to take flight again. I want to follow. My whole being longs to soar through the air and be a part of this flock. But my body is resisting. I just can’t do it.
“Hey”, I say to my friend. “I’m heading home. I think I have the flu.”
Prompt: Bird Flu 10/6/07
Monday, October 8, 2007
Bird Flu - Maya
"Hey, listen to this." She elbowed her friend studying at the table beside her.
"What?"
" 'It could happen anytime. Tornado. Earthquake. Armageddon.' "
Her friend gave her "the look" - the "why are you bothering me with this crap" eyeball-rolling look.
"No, it really gets to me, this stuff."
"It's like, so what?" her friend replied.
"But it's so true! We're, like, I don't know, all victims of life. This guy, this poet .... what's his name? William Stafford. He really understands. Whoops. Understood. He's dead."
"Aren't they all? That's why they call them 'dead white males.'"
"No, I like this guy. It's like, he understood exactly how I feel sometimes."
"You mean you sit around worrying that a tornado's gonna get you, or lightning strike, or you're going to fall into a hole in the ground when the big one hits? Not me! I refuse to live that way."
"But don't you feel like that, at least sometimes? Like our parents made a bad world even worse, and now we're going to inherit it."
"I just don't let it get to me."
"How? Every day the news is full of some disaster - global warming, bird flu, mad cow disease, you name it."
"Look. It doesn't get you anywhere worrying about birds dying. Stop eating chicken if you're that scared. You'd be better off as a vegetarian anyway."
"Yeah, right. You and I both know that the vegetarians we hang out with eat worse than anybody. Potato chips, cokes and cigarettes aren't exactly a healthy diet. Vegetarianism just allows you to act superior because meat doesn't touch your lips."
"All I'm saying is that I think you either need to ignore all that shit or go do something about it. Join Moveon.org or...what's it called? Greenpeace?"
"Yeah, I probably should. Maybe it would help."
"I can't believe you sit around worrying about fucking bird flu."
"You're probably right. This guy, though, this poet Stafford - he wasn't talking so much about the man-made stuff. More like natural disasters. Stuff you can't do anything about. And they COULD happen any time."
"You just said it yourself - you can't do anything about it - so get over yourself! Study something else for a while, would you? I have work to do, and those guys at the next table are giving us dirty looks for talking so much."
She looked over and sure enough the people at the next table were glaring at her. She slumped down further on her hard chair, picking up her book and thinking - okay, so how do you not worry when you're already worried? And why is it that some people worry and others don't? She twirled the ends of her shoulder-length hair in her fingers, a nervous habit started when she was little.
- How are you supposed to deal with this crap? - she wondered. She had a whole lot of life ahead of her and she didn't want to live it like this. At least, she hoped she had a whole lot of life ahead. Unless tornados, or earthquakes, or bird flu came first. It could happen.
Prompt: Bird Flu, 10/6/07
"What?"
" 'It could happen anytime. Tornado. Earthquake. Armageddon.' "
Her friend gave her "the look" - the "why are you bothering me with this crap" eyeball-rolling look.
"No, it really gets to me, this stuff."
"It's like, so what?" her friend replied.
"But it's so true! We're, like, I don't know, all victims of life. This guy, this poet .... what's his name? William Stafford. He really understands. Whoops. Understood. He's dead."
"Aren't they all? That's why they call them 'dead white males.'"
"No, I like this guy. It's like, he understood exactly how I feel sometimes."
"You mean you sit around worrying that a tornado's gonna get you, or lightning strike, or you're going to fall into a hole in the ground when the big one hits? Not me! I refuse to live that way."
"But don't you feel like that, at least sometimes? Like our parents made a bad world even worse, and now we're going to inherit it."
"I just don't let it get to me."
"How? Every day the news is full of some disaster - global warming, bird flu, mad cow disease, you name it."
"Look. It doesn't get you anywhere worrying about birds dying. Stop eating chicken if you're that scared. You'd be better off as a vegetarian anyway."
"Yeah, right. You and I both know that the vegetarians we hang out with eat worse than anybody. Potato chips, cokes and cigarettes aren't exactly a healthy diet. Vegetarianism just allows you to act superior because meat doesn't touch your lips."
"All I'm saying is that I think you either need to ignore all that shit or go do something about it. Join Moveon.org or...what's it called? Greenpeace?"
"Yeah, I probably should. Maybe it would help."
"I can't believe you sit around worrying about fucking bird flu."
"You're probably right. This guy, though, this poet Stafford - he wasn't talking so much about the man-made stuff. More like natural disasters. Stuff you can't do anything about. And they COULD happen any time."
"You just said it yourself - you can't do anything about it - so get over yourself! Study something else for a while, would you? I have work to do, and those guys at the next table are giving us dirty looks for talking so much."
She looked over and sure enough the people at the next table were glaring at her. She slumped down further on her hard chair, picking up her book and thinking - okay, so how do you not worry when you're already worried? And why is it that some people worry and others don't? She twirled the ends of her shoulder-length hair in her fingers, a nervous habit started when she was little.
- How are you supposed to deal with this crap? - she wondered. She had a whole lot of life ahead of her and she didn't want to live it like this. At least, she hoped she had a whole lot of life ahead. Unless tornados, or earthquakes, or bird flu came first. It could happen.
Prompt: Bird Flu, 10/6/07
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