Sunday, August 19, 2007

Spells


I never put my boots on, not once. The army, smaller in numbers, but just as determined arrived in dribbles in my backyard. Time to build the castle. I smiled a little bigger each time I heard a door slam. And watched as these fellows, working 14 in a row, 6 in a row, lumbered out , yawning, but ready to work yet again. Two had to lean back in, reach far into their backseats, and unbuckle the very thing that made them who they are today. That made them go from boys, hell on wheels, to men….standing in the driveway, building a home for a stranger…..

Their daughters. First borns. And four year olds.

So on this Saturday, instead of digging trenches, dragging scraps, fetching nuts, and bolts, and beer…..I got to play….the girls and I. We went to hippie daycare….And I learned that my daughter ( 20 almost 40) is so silly when she mutters “Ma, you’re not eighteen anymore!” (afraid I’m going to slip, fall, get into trouble) because I know now, I’m forever four…..

We water colored and palm painted and ate potato chips with lettuce. We made up cheers to keep the troops going… “Go~Go, Daddy, Daddy, Sis Boom~Boom, Bah, Yeah……!” Jumping in Mick Jagger circles for the tah-dah! We rolled on top of the exercise ball, making giant blue somersaults in the grass….and of course, thunked a head or two on the down slide!

In the heat of the day (Nap time at hippie day care) they piled onto the hammock, balancing in the middle, toe to toe. And this is what I heard….

“You awe a good witch awen’t you?”
“Cowse she is”
“She’s going to spwinkle magic dust on us and we a goin to fall asweep fowevah”
“And a handsome pwince is gonna wide ovah here on his white howse and wake us up”

And so I did, of course…..

Abbra Kadabared them to sleep, with the wave of a right hand filled with golden glitters, left hand rocking the hammock into slumber land…..

Nap time at hippie daycare lasted exactly four minutes, the spell broken by a handsome dad whiling by on his way to the sawhorses …..
Then four flailing legs and four silly arms scrambling later,
Two little princesses tumbled off the magic carpet and onto the cool green grass….. “Yuah tuwn, yuah tuwn” they pleaded, guiding me onto the hammock.

And they whooed me to sleep with sweaty little handfulls of pink and gold glitter, blobbed on and rubbed in like neon beach sand. “In yuah haya” “pwetty wittle pwincess”….

And then they stood back and watched….

“we haff to wait on the pwince”
“what if she sweeps fowevah?”
“well he’ll come an wake huh up with a wovely kiss”

And they waited.
And I waited.
And finally, in cahoots, they ran and fetched the green baby doll and snuggled her up to my neck and “Hooway, hooway, yoah filled wit love now!”

From the deck,
The handsome prince~dad smiled,
“They forgot to come and get me”…….

39 comments:

SHE said...

another masterpiece...

of love.

-your writing always casts a spell on me

Scott from Oregon said...

These days, the prince is sleeping on a cheap floaty in a backyard pool in Oregon...


ZZZZZ...

Oceanshaman said...

This post was so worthwhile, if only for the phrase "hippie daycare," and all the wonderful images it brought to mind . . .

Namaste . . .

skinnylittleblonde said...

Hahahaha...I can hear those girls! So funny! It took me all the way back to the days of Snyder... by golly, sister, I think I could be four forever with you...lol, you take me there, anywhere & everywhere and I will gladly go! Love it! xoxoxox

singleton said...

she...They cast a spell on me, innocent and full of laughter, gobbling up everything imagination fed them! Four is my new favorite age!

scott....well these days, the lazy round river in my backyard, that could be stuffed full of handsome princes by 2:00 week-ends, is slowly turning green....yet another mechanical disaster and another pump bites the dust!

oceans....Gosh, I hope their Moms were ok with kids day out at hippie daycare! :)

Slb....I think we really were four forever....least I know you wore that little calico dress til you were almost eleven and it fit like a shirt and my Samalama flannel cowboy shirt just got hauled in from the shed/studio/castle and it's as loveworn as any pair of jeans! ILYSVVFM!

kj said...

your writing is so trustworthy and solid, i just fall into it and let you carry me along....

ps i'm not four, but i'm getting younger every day.

:)

justacoolcat said...

You awe a good witch awen’t you!

Awesome. Play days with imagination are the greatest building blocks of life.

Lola Starr said...

Aw....that is so sweet! And that line reminds me of when I played Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz"-Are you a good witch or a bad witch? So Sunday night and recovering from the week which ended with my dog in AL dying and my parents telling me my uncle`s worse and likely going to die soon. What a week huh? What`re you up too?

singleton said...

kj...I hope that means my life is that way....and we're all getting younger every day!

suchacoolcat....Were you there? Because I swear they said that! And I still play with imagination, it does a body good!

karma....OK, truth be known, it was hell week. But hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and I have every intention of rockin' it, kickin' it's butt.And I'm not talkin' about love here, I'm talkin' about life, friends,kids, bills, cats, dogs, pool pumps, electricity,sisters, brothers, meant-to-be's... I am so sorry to hear about your baby,(What if it was Georgia?} and your uncle... (OMG I don't think I could stand it} Honestly, I can't even imagine....and my eyes rained on Thursday for the world, and you're in my world, little one, and on Friday I ran away, and on Saturday I was numb and today, I had a beer and clinked! the circle... so
please know...I'm reaching... hugging...wishing....

SpongyBones said...

I want to go to Hippie Daycare. I promise to be good and I will try my best to act like I'm older then three!

Awesome writing!

eric1313 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
eric1313 said...

She Knows...
E1313


blue lady's slight
smile hinting like
breathy whispers
'she knows...'

because she does
know.

why her mascara runs
blue.

the thickest blood is
red.

and hot as blue steel
and precious
as the sun.

she knows
why her heart pounds
so deeply for
who she loves.

who defines her
more than herself.

who shares her eyes
and heart and soul.

she knows
the tears are
oceanwater,
and her love
swims with her.

no matter the distance,
her love lies
with her in blue mascara

floating
near the shore

three
spirits

of
peace

or one
picture of beauty--
like the way god thinks
about beauty and breathed
it with our souls into
all of us
in one all mighty sigh
back at the very genesis
of what is,
and what will be

as He called it good.

That's what she knows.

eric1313 said...

You are a vibrant lady, with powers and spells and magicks hallowed and bewitching. And a spirit of golden buterflies with all the music you inspire written on their wings.

P~L

singleton said...

spongy....OK, you're in! Here's your list of supplies.....

Tattoo designs for henna party
Stand Alone Play list
and Your own bottle of Jack! :)
peace~love

Eric...Beautiful, simply beautiful. And your wings are colored now, Jimi hendrix style, changing, electrified, amplified, psychedlic patterns evolving with the wind....the travels...the roadstops...the nextstops... It's all gonna be good.....Changes, by fate or chance, are still meant-to-be's,...and then we turn around and even if we're lost for just a moment, find comfort in where we've been... and anticipation in the bright lights ahead...

peace~love

Lola Starr said...

Sing-I think last week was universally hell week. Everyone I know had a terrible one. Sorry to hear you were amongst them. Been numb for most of it but decided I have to deal with all of it sometime so that'll be this week....Been thinking of running away to London just for the hell of it though....

SpongyBones said...

WHAT!!! A daycare that doesn't provide bottles in the fees! I hae to pay for my own!!!

mindy said...

i like this daycare!! i think i'll go have a nap now. :)

singleton said...

karma....well, I would dread a transatlantic flight, but running away, I'm with you on that one girl! We'll all get through it, and be bigger, better, broader shouldered for it! Wishing you peace, sweet girl, and laughter....
medicine for the heart....

spongy....shhhhhhhhhh....It's a "dont tell your parents" kinda place.......

mindy.... you're napping while we're doing jiffy pop over the tiki lights?

SpongyBones said...

Sweet, hear my patter patter feet coming...

eric1313 said...

You can sit with me anytime.

I'm rolling the fattest joint ever. In celebration. OK, OK maybe it's just a fat pinner, but I haven't smoked in a few days, so it'll still rule.

Semester starts next monday, and the MSU Spartans are welcoming me on board with open arms. I had to go there and write an essay in person this morning, telling them what I felt I had to add to the accademic life on campus and blew them all away. They thought I was educated in a private school.

Didn't want to tell them I was so smart that I dropped out of HS a few days after turning sixteen--they weren't teaching me anything I didn't already know! Screw'em. Tell everyone I gradumatated, anyway. Noby cares. Except school, I'll tell them, because I have to, they'll boot you out for lying.

Anyway, how's my favorite person?

Hope you are well. I'd love to have a porch party, but I'm ob dial up! Still, we should try.

watcha thinkin?

eric1313 said...

dial up ain't so bad, I guess.

Porch party. Soon. Be there...

you are there! hahahahahaha

OK. Talk to me, hippie queen. I miss you.

singleton said...

spongy....bring the jack quick! The hippie daycare teach broke her damn foot tonight! pitter patter splatter!

eric...sweets....we'll have plenty of time for porch parties and dial up won't change a thing...I'm gonna be lugging a concrete block around for 6 weeks or more....No disco dancin' in the near future....so talk to me my friend....

peace~love~bolts and screws

eric1313 said...

Let me be the first one to wish you the speediest recoverys in the cacoon surrounded by your friends right here at your back porch.

eric1313 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
eric1313 said...

craziest thing since flitting
sweatin strugglin and smilin',
she flew in the back door,
spinning everyone around
and falling fast like
cannon balls, may day cartwheels

crazy butterfly hippie queen
with her newest aquisition;
plaster cast art
as yet unborn,
a rock hugging her ankle
knowing she'll have to take it home.

She's the craziest thing
blue and black and pink and tan
and gold inside, outside, flipside,
her wings making their own breeze,
fluttering frenzy in the pharmacy,
now in the steril office trading scrubs
for a back porch fanny gown
and a plaster slipper
since the blue fairy godmother
was all out of glass before midnight,

and now
the blue butterfly over bayou
high and low
carries her pet rock with pride and
the occasional flurry of cusswords
zinging through the night like darts

the craziest thing going up and up
eight miles high,
flipping that rock,
Michelob and the keys in hand,
juggling the good and bad,
floating
even if it's ugly
floating inspite of new buddy boulder
Mr. plaster to-be-Paris at night--
Paris, Fla
by moonlight, bayou breeze
and blue wings bringing it
to the night in rock solid fashion

singleton said...

Eric...Ahhhhh...you captured the tumble from grace perfectly...
up!up!
down!
down!
Warning: "Imperial ballerinas" do not try this at home!

"the occasional flurry of cusswords
zinging through the night like darts" and that sweet friend is the sleep-talking hippie,roling over, "Nope, can't do that" finally given in, and gotten up....

Morning Sunshine!

eric1313 said...

Wish I had stayed up just a minute longer... I went to bed at 5:30. We could have had a hippie round table!

This one was actually just visualizing you walking around over the next few weeks in that cast. You'll be cussin' darts and poppin' pretty flower faced illusions.

Tried to make it uniersal, not just a Blue Lady special.

singleton said...

Ahhh Eric....It's already good! I mean, hell, I work for the surgeon! If I had to snap, crackle, pop, anything, I bopped the right parts! And the cussin' started as soon as I could make sounds come outa my mouth....and I think I have a few left in me, just for effect! The thing that really torques me is having to sit on the bleachers when the backyard army comes on Saturday! Oh, and yeah, being reminded that maybe, I wasn't meant to be a ballerina afterall!

A hippie round table in the making...... dialed up and propped up! Meet you there!
peace~love

eric1313 said...

You know it.

I'll be around. You'll find me in the oddest times, now that I have a home to occupy and not dread.

The joious parade will help construct your kingdom in honor of it's queen. I'd bet they'll redouble they're eforts

A round table for two; that's all we need--but the more clinks the merrier and as in the round table of old, we will fill the cups of those who we honor as friends, brothers and sisters.

Then we drink them, also in their honor; it's what our loved ones would want.


Red Wine River
you spillt her poet soul,
pages sticky and stained
some red, some blue.

Red Wine River,
take her to your shore
and she will still float--
inspiteful of your
many wicked undertows.

Red Wine River
she knows myself from
the beggining of time
and I know her songs
like you know the spell.

Red Wine River
don't let us drown,
for tomorrow's a dream date,
yesterday's a nighmarescape--
and this moment is priceless

floating

right-side-up-side-down

Red Wine River
eyes of the deep
souls praying and playing
for keeps.

singleton said...

eric....for keeps...isn't that what keeps us floating after all?
That, and the river...... praying and playing......
peace~love

eric1313 said...

From what I've learned from you, floating is...



faith in familly, peace and love

faith that the colors won't run
no matter how green they are,
nor how black or how blue

faith in the eternal sunrise
and faith in better weather

faith knows

so put your treasures and poems and art all in heaven

let God sort it out

have faith in His lucky sevens

faith is a rock
that's lighter than a feather

faith floats

faith knows the storms
but faith knows our heart better

eric1313 said...

you there, queen of the bayou?


Late summer is for old love
what the springtime is for a
hungry newborn love affictions.

Human Animals baying at Luna's
grin,
still felt in the daylight,
who only know their own desires,
their own internal passion plays;
and what they think are true colors
are only another change of the seasons;
the prism changing with the days.

August's sun burns their skin
sand makes the canvas glow--
love with a clean, dry place
to bed down for a long night,
stretching like dogs in summer's heat
melting in the sun, sticky fingers,
backs sweating rivulets and rapids
tongues wagging like little tails,
the heat of an old summer making
old loves feel new and vital;
wanted...

Love running like butter
under the hot breathy smile
of St. August's inferno sun,
redemption in each caress
hands down, eyes closed,
dogs of late summer panting
in the shade of old love
in the forever spring

singleton said...

eric....
you know what?
I could float forever in your words...
On top of them,
buoyed to the surface
for the ride
toes dangling overboard
fingers
tracing the tides
salt spraying everywhere
a wet bridal net
laid to rest
on my eyes
closed
and soaking
up the
words.....

thank you, my friend....
for treasures on the porch....

karoline in the morning said...

lolol...singleton...

“Hooway, hooway, yoah filled wit love now!”


i luv magic luv spells..

k
:)))

singleton said...

karoline.....
I'm still filled wit love! It worked, those magical little magpie fairies and their wonderful spells......
And love grows.....

Anonymous said...

Uhh, Yep, You have put your boots on. You're probably not allowed to put them on anymore. It's probably in the HOA bylaws now. Yep, I'm smilin' really big right now.

singleton said...

Baby,
these boots were made for walkin'.....
and dancin'.....
not plodding through the backyard!

eric1313 said...

Clinked ya from right here!

Meet you there, sweet hippie, heart of gold!

"Red Wine, Green River, Shadowbox Royale" is at the docks!

Peace and love...

singleton said...

Eric...I stumbled on her right away...dipped in for airconditioning and Mic Light and to hide my ears and eyes from the miracle metamorphisis in my backyard (Because I'm afraid to play with electricity~) and knew....
peace~love~and blue wine, red wine, sweet wine, spent wine....
empty bottles in the windowsill...