so they left late Saturday afternoon and as they were leaving the Rain picked up. Within in an hour or so, it began...that Atmospheric River. Deluge. but more. There is NOTHING but Rain. And i went to sleep, glad we had gotten the bedding straw. Glad for the day. Glad for the Us. and somewhere soon after, the Wind began. I got up and listened. RAINWIND had become one Thing. Now there was nothing but RainWind. I listened. but then went back to bed. Back to sleep. Morning would come. It did. and there was no reprieve. They say there were 60mph gusts. I could see very little, it was dark and thick with Rain, not even Rain, but Water just Pouring down i could see the tops of the trees blowing, swaying....80ft Pines swaying. Nearby. Tay came away from her rug by the door to lie next to me here at the Everything Table. i kept thinking, it will let up. But then it didn't and there was another sound...a soft clatter and it was the fiberglass cover to the bathroom ceiling vent. It fluttered and then didn't then did. and then there was a continuous clatter. I hoped. Please. Let it stay. I tried to read. but couldn't concentrate. i thought about sorting through this space next to me on the bench but couldn't. All i could do was listen. Tay listened. We sat here. Listening. The drawing book was on the table and i got a pencil and thought at least i could draw. The Above. not much. each line seemed to take endless time, each mark and probably because i was listening. I was afraid. In N Mex there would be Crazy Wind but it would be for a finite time, from one direction to another, not this Wind that was everywhere and all directions and hours now. Suddenly the little vent cover ripped off and it all came IN. Pouring in and i dragged Old Cowboy's Mother's chair in there and cut the shower curtain off with scissors and cut strips of duct tape and stuffed it in to the square in the ceiling, there's a screen at roof level and i knew it wouldn't work but it was all i could think of and i dreaded calling Alyssia but i did. Ok she said. Electricity off in town. soon as she could. and i saw that the water was not pooling on the floor but leaking out somewhere under the sink cabinet. Shower curtain on floor.
these cloth scraps. I sat down and reached over to find the stones in the basket. Held them. Then placed them. Set this card that she had brought from her mailbox yesterday...from LaceLady. And sat. Listening. And it all just kept up. And i heard a cracking somewhere out there and thought..ok....this might be it. What if this was it for me? What if that great Pine i have been watching FELL. FELL here. What if this was....the end. ? and nothing changed. The cloths were still there in their Beauty, the stones, the same in the palm of my hand or there, the image of the Womb that i suddenly saw the center of as being her hands, holding, holding the thing of Life
and they came, having found the exactly perfect tarp thingy and bongee cords and covered the hole Alyssia on the roof and fed the Goats and left and the RAINWIND kept going on into yet another night but there was no rain inside so i went to sleep waking off and on to get up and listen on into Morning and suddenly around 10 oclock
it quit.
SUN came and all was sparkling diamonds. tonight i made macaroni and cheese.
