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Friday, June 20, 2014

Inside My Head, It’s Warm and Dry

Having been forecast to begin raining at 5:00, the clouds oblige; and at 5:04, it comes down, raindrops the size of dinner plates.

The general downtown population responds as if martial law has been declared; and a couple in a vehicle the size of a team of Clydesdales, lured by the seduction of a yellow light, has wandered into a ped-xing zone, where they find themselves engulfed in pedestrians, all of whom are thinking of hitting their hood with an umbrella but don’t. 

We board our buses, slightly moistened.  The man who sits down next to me, a perpetually unsmiling, grizzled sort I’ve seen every work day for at least five years, promptly closes his eyes. 

It’s been raining for days.  The sky hangs low and heavy; and the Mississippi River rushes to meet it, throwing itself over the falls near the bridge and up into the air in a mist that mingles with the clouds.

On both sides of the bus, we turn to watch.  One day frozen over, one day free of ice, time is marked by the river. 

The river is wide, I think. 

Pleased with this thought, I turn to my seatmate, then quickly turn away.  He is sleeping, and I am struck by this intimacy.

I steal another look.  Eyes closed, face slack, he is vulnerable and touchingly human.    It’s just me and this guy on the bus, I think.  We’re going to make it work, whatever it takes.

I look back out the window.


It’s been raining for days. 

24 comments:

Tammy said...

You have such a talent for capturing those little bits of humanity that we hide so deeply, we forget they're there. Nice reminder.

Pearl said...

Aww. :-) Thank you, Tammy!

Shelly said...

I was right there with you- enjoying every rain drop.

Pearl said...

Shelly, I think me and guy next to me really have a shot. :-)

MAN. I need to get out more!

Pearl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jayne Martin said...

This is really exquisite. I'm in awe of your ability to transcend ordinary moments into the extraordinary.

jenny_o said...

It's warm and dry in your head, AND it's a beehive of thinking in there, too. Lovely, dreamy thinking.

Give us all an invite to the nuptials, eh? :)

Geo. said...

An engaging and memorable prose poem, Pearl. My compliments.

Joanne Noragon said...

It's been raining for days and days and days. Great engulfing of the HumVee.

Sioux Roslawski said...

Dammit, Pearl. This prose reads like poetry.

Elephant's Child said...

Warm, dry - and a hive of activity. Another beautiful piece. I do love your bus vignettes.

Gigi said...

I was just wondering about you this morning as the news was talking about the weather in your area. It appears, that you are doing fine.

Robbie Grey said...

"time is marked by the river..."

I can empathize with that statement. The condition of water says a lot about a place.

Connie said...

I hope you two will be very happy. Haha! :D Great piece, Pearl. We've had lots of rain here this week too.

River said...

I do the same thing if I know exactly where the bus is going. sit down, close my eyes and wake up at the stop nearest my daughter's home for instance.

Watson said...

Things to do on a rainy day: 1)ride the bus 2)take Pearl along to get fresh insights!

Linda O'Connell said...

Your knack for capturing nuance is incredible. I was waiting for you to touch his nose or tickle his ear lobe and then close your eyes :)

Catalyst said...

An excellent microcosm, Pearl.

esbboston said...

" in a mist that mingles with the clouds."

ah

&^y

Indigo Roth said...

Beautiful, touching, nicely done x

sage said...

A nice capture of a moment in time even if you are a little wet behind the ears.

VEG said...

My god yes, make the rain stop, before I have a tantrum.

That man slept on the bus and you resisted the urge to put objects in his open mouth? What kind of bus rider are you?

Slamdunk said...

Well written and thought-provoking. I do confess that I'd be snoozing away too if someone else were doing the driving.

Susan said...

While navigating a mountain pass in a torrential downpour yesterday, I think I would have much preferred to be sitting next to a sleeping man on a bus! I loved this.