There's a Mermaid in My Swimming Pool (or "A Pandemic Fantasy at My Fabricated Beach House)

 

There’s a mermaid in my swimming pool

I didn’t know was there

Until I took a dip and got

All tangled in her hair

 

Her locks were long and straight and thick

As gold as fields of wheat

It floated all about me

And wrapped around my feet

 

I looked up at her mermaid face

I saw her mermaid eyes

I’d seen some weird things in my pool

But this one took the prize.

 

I reached down and unwrapped my legs

My heart pounding with fear

But when I caught my breath, I said

“What are you doing here?

 

This is my private backyard pool

With only me admitted

The gate is locked – no one allowed

Big fish are not permitted”

 

She stood up on her tail fin

And started in to talking

She spoke the words quite quickly

As I just stood there gawking

 

Her English was a little rough

Talked faster than expected

But as I listened, I heard words

Like virus and infected.

 

I ask her to slow down a bit

So I could understand her

She took a breath, her blue eyes wide

At me she took a gander

 

Then fish-girl started in again

She said the whales were singing

About the dolphin’s upset

And bad news they were bringing

 

They all decided Google

was the only way to go

She typed in the word pandemic

And then watched the bad news grow

 

So the fish began researching

The whales and dolphins too

The crabs and lobsters, rays and eels

All seeking what to do

 

And when they found an answer

Truth that they could not ignore

They chose to leave their ocean homes

And head in for the shore.

 

They swam along the beaches

And raised their noses high

To find that special chlorine smell

That said a pool was nigh

 

Then next in line would leap right in

They worked hard not to splash

Each creature stayed so very still

They didn’t flap or thrash

 

And up the coast they swam until

Each one of them had places

That Sea Span said were free of germs

Not even tiny traces

 

My mouth still hung agape as I

Absorbed the things she told me

She begged me not to make her go

She wheedled and cajoled me

 

I pondered all the things she said

About how pool chlorine

Would keep away all viruses

And help us all stay clean

 

So finally, I told her yes

My pool was hers to share

And then before I knew it

4 more creatures joined us there.

 

There’s a mermaid in my swimming pool

3 squids and one sardine

I live there too, all pruny now

But no Covid 19!

Family Legacy

May 9, 2015

My big brother went away today, 
and the world became
heavier… darker… scarier. 

I thought I had long ago outgrown needing a big brother
to make me feel safe…

but I was wrong.

I wish I had known

his pain… his despair… his hopelessness.

I wish I had listened to the inner voice saying,  

"Find him.

Even if he has been hiding for years, find him. 

He needs you."

But in truth,

would it have made any difference?

Now my big brother is gone... 

but he is changed and healed.

Now he is whole and renewed and pain-free,

Now his mind is clear and at peace.

I am not healed.

My mind is not clear or at peace.

I want to know why,

so many years ago,

my mother chose to die,

and today,

my brother chose to die.

Is this a family tradition ~

this overwhelm with living that leads to dying?

Is it a ritual that I am expected to pass along?

I refuse.

IT ENDS WITH ME.

No matter what it takes

IT ENDS WITH ME.

No matter how hard,

how deeply enticing,

how monumentally unfair,

how exhausting and mind annihilating

IT ENDS WITH ME.

This is my vow.

I will not pass this legacy on to those I love the most.

IT ENDS WITH ME.

If there are such things as 

gods,

or angels,

or enlightened spirits, 

and if you are listening,

please do not let me forget this vow.

No matter what… do not let me ever forget.

                                                                                                                                    

Rick,

I don't understand your choice to leave, but I do know that you did exactly what you thought you had to do at the time. I will get over my hurt and anger... and will always love you, no matter what.  Thank you for teaching me to not throw a baseball like a girl, for showing me how to shoot jump shots and free throws from the top of the key - for educating me in the proper way to shoot an 8 ball into the corner pocket without scratching - and for forcing me to listen to the Beatles until I finally fell in love with them.  Enjoy the next leg of your journey Big Brother - and make it the greatest adventure yet!

"I'm Still With You" (in honor of our departed animal family members)

"I'M STILL WITH YOU" - Author Unknown

(Dedicated to Sierra and her family Nathan, Jake, April and Mike)

I stood by your bed last night. 

I came to have a peep.
I could see that you were crying 

you found it hard to sleep.

I whined to you softly

as you brushed away a tear,
"It's me, I haven't left you, 

I'm well, I'm fine, I'm here."

I was close to you at breakfast. 

I watched you pour the tea.
You were thinking of the many times 

your hands reached down to me.

I was with you at the shops today; 

your arms were getting sore.
I longed to take your parcels. 

I wish I could do more.

I was with you at my grave today.  

You tend it with such care.
I want to reassure you 

that I'm not lying there.

I walked with you towards the house, 

as you fumbled for your key.
I gently put my paw on you

I smiled and said " it's me."

You looked so very tired, 

and sank into a chair.
I tried so hard to let you know

that I was standing there.

It's possible for me to be 

so near you every day.
To say to you with certainty, 

"I never went away."

You sat there very quietly, 

then smiled; I think you knew...
In the stillness of that evening, 

I was very close to you.

The day is over.  Night has come.  

I smile and watch you yawning
and then I say "good-night, God bless, 

I'll see you in the morning."

And when the time is right for you 

to cross the brief divide,
I'll rush across to greet you 

and we'll stand, side by side.

I have so many things to show,

 so much for you to see.
Be patient, live your journey out...

then come home to be with me!

Patriotism... it aint for Sissies!

"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness.  You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism."  Erma Bombeck had such a knack for stating truth with humor… and I totally love her thought!

I am a Patriotic sap.  One year on the 4^th of July I watched 4 patriotic movies:

1. “Stars and Stripes Forever” with Clifton Web as John Phillip Sousa, the writer of that very famous Americana song by the same name.
2. "1776"  - the musical about the Declaration of Independence
3. Yankee Doodle Dandy, starring James Cagney as world renown American songwriter and performer George M. Cohan
4. The American President with Michael Douglas and Annette Benning – the movie from which they developed the best TV show ever written, “The West Wing.” 

In addition to the movies, I watched “A Capitol 4^th” (the glorious music and fireworks display from Washington DC) - both times that it was on PBS – one right after the other – for 4 hours!  I probably cried at least a dozen times in the course of the day - just being touched by things to do with the country that I am proud to call my own.

Now I’m going to tell you a secret, and you have to promise you won’t tell a soul. I am a recovering Republican. I have been in recovery for a long time. It hasn’t been easy overcoming my radically fundamentalist Baptist background.  I didn't even consider the options when I registered as a Republican at age 18. I just did what my parents had done.  But when I was in my mid 30s, I met some amazing people who changed my perspective on many things, and I began letting go of my Fundamentalism. If my extremely right-wing father was alive, he would say that I went over to the Dark Side.

Yes… I am now a registered Democrat.  I am an extremely liberal Democrat.   I am not only a liberal – I am so far to the left on the political continuum that I am in danger of looping on around and winding up in a Tea Party meeting.  So it is very easy for me to join the many liberals who are not happy with our current radical-right Republicans.  I’ve even had people suggest that there is something wrong with saying I am proud to be an American – that there’s something wrong with celebrating Independence Day because of the damage Donald Trump and his minions have done and are continuing to do in this country.   

I entirely disagree.  I think we need our patriotic celebrations more than ever.  We need something to remind us of our core principles - and all that this country has overcome in the last two and a half centuries.

Obviously, the USA has all kinds of problems – all kinds of inequality – all kinds of reprehensible things being done to people in the name of preserving our peace and security.  This country is a mess in many ways… and it’s been a mess for a while.   But if I only focus on the messy part, I can begin to doubt my patriotism and wonder if it’s something I should be ashamed of.  Patriotism ain’t for sissies.  Flag waving in the current climate is a risky thing for a liberal, but something I think we need more than ever. 

Russian immigrant and author Vera Nazarian wrote: “Patriotism is a commitment to what is best inside us all.”  I like that… a commitment to what is best inside us all.  You live in America  - I live in America  - no matter what color, creed, gender, age or religion we are, we can mutually choose to gather in peaceful celebration of the birth of this country -  and of the possibilities of America - possibilities that are definitely NOT available in many many other places. 

 

I was married for the first and only time on Independence Day 1975 – at 5:30AM, in Scottsdale, AZ.  I wanted an outside wedding, and in Scottsdale in July – the only way to do that and not wind up with the honored guests dropping to the ground from heat stroke - was to have it early in the morning.  I have always loved the 4^th of July, and it just seemed like the perfect day to get married.  It’s a happy holiday – I mean – in places where it’s not 114°, people have parades and picnics in the park, and they eat traditional American food like hot dogs, corn-on-the-cob, and blueberry pie.  Everything is festively red, white, and blue… and you get to shamelessly listen to John Phillip Sousa while watching things be set on fire and blown up. What could be better than that?

There were no friendly picnics or music-filled parades on July 4th, 1776.   During the revolutionary war, we were still officially British subjects, fighting our own government for independence.  It would be like if Arizona suddenly declared war on the United States so they could become an independent nation.  There was an actual state of war declared between the colonies and England long before this group of traitors applied their pens to the radical Declaration of Independence!

 

Fifty-six men, chosen by the good people of the colonies, signed the Declaration. These were not wild-eyed rabble-rousers. Eighteen of the signers were merchants or businessmen, 14 were farmers, and four were doctors. Twenty-four were lawyers and judges. They were well-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. They signed the Declaration knowing full well that if they were captured, the penalty for this act of treason against the King would be their death – and probably the death of those they loved.   But they had a dream of independence – and were willing to give their all - even their lives - to see that dream come into reality.

Hopefully most of us will never have to risk our lives for our dreams like Jefferson, Franklin, Hancock and 53 other patriotic "NON-Sissies."  I still choose to believe there is tremendous hope for this country because one of our most revered documents says: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."   Many people’s rights are still being trampled in this country -  which is totally unacceptable.  And still, compared to the Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, the Congo, Pakistan, Libya, Ethiopia, and so many other countries where hope of ever having personal freedom has been all but extinguished, America offers far more hope based on the dreams and actions of our founding fathers… and all who have fought and served to protect our freedom in this incredible country we live in.

So – patriotism is not easy – especially when you are at odds with the things going on in the country you love.  But it’s not about any particular leader or group or conviction or religion or political party.  It’s about honoring what America has stood for the last 243 years.  Through wars and financial crises and planes crashing into buildings and crazy people with guns killing our children… even in the midst of the insanity – America still stands, and offers potential for a better future.

 

I’m proud to be an American.  Let me say that again.  I’m proud to be an American.  You can disagree with me - you can say I don’t know what I’m talking about – you can even tell other people I am out of my mind.  You can verbally attack people who believe differently than you – express your disgust with people who don’t see things your way. You can tweet or post on Facebook or write a blog or stand on a street corner and attack the very things I most love at the top of your lungs.  You are free to do that because you live in America – and so many have put their lives on the line to guarantee your inalienable right to disagree with me and anyone else you choose!

Patriotism is not for Sissies.  It takes guts to stand up for what you believe. Do you have the guts to join me?

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." 

Happy Independence Day… and Namaste.

Dino Molly

Today is the 5^th anniversary of the transition of my dear friend Molly Pearce Eaker.  In her honor – I wrote this story.  The details may not be exact, but the basic story is true.  I love you and miss you so much, Mollywog!  Thanks for being such a gift in my life!

DINO MOLLY

When Molly was young, she had this love affair with Little Foot, the young Brontosaurus ("Longneck") from the movie “Land Before Time.”  We watched that movie  over and over and over when I was Molly’s caregiver. I grew to know Cera Triceratops, Spike Stegosaurus, Chomper Tyrannosaurus and all of Little Foot’s other friends very VERY VERY well!  

One of Molly’s most prized possessions was a large stuffed Little Foot that she carried around everywhere. Unfortunately, there were times when Little Foot would sneak away somewhere – into a place where Molly could not find him.  Enter a Molly Meltdown.  Little Foot had to be within her range of vision at all times, and if he was not, the world collapsed around her.  I remember many many frantic dino-hunts, sometimes for Little Foot, and sometimes for another very important Dinosaur in Molly’s life, Barney. Seems we were always hunting for one or the other.  And with Molly there was no “Let’s look for it later after we finish this game.”  It had to be NOW, or the walls came tumbling down!

One morning shortly after I arrived, we were playing dress up, and she realized she didn’t see Little Foot anywhere.  I was dispatched to search for him, which I did for about 10 minutes, with no success.  I called Molly's mom, Melisa, to see if maybe Little Foot got left in the car, but Molly had not been in the car since he disappeared. He had to be hiding someplace in the house.  After 15 minutes, Molly began working up to what I knew would be a dramatic encounter.  She wanted Little Foot, and she wanted him now.  I managed to find Barney and offered him to her, but she wanted nothing to do with that goofy smiling purple and green reptile.  I was tearing through her toys, her closet, her bedroom, every room in the house she might have been in – but no luck.  She followed me around, dragging her feeding pump behind her  – getting louder and louder in her protests… and I have to be honest – I was starting to panic too.  

After about 20 minutes (that seemed like 20 hours) I remember looking back at Molly and noticing that she was not only crying, but her eyes were starting to get that glazed over look – so I said loudly,  “Molly… try to remember… when did you last see Little Foot?”  She was making too much noise on her own to hear me – so I kind of shouted at her – but no response.  I reached down and took one of her hands in each of mine… looking right at her… and saying very loudly  “Molly Jo Pearce… LOOK AT ME!”  She kind of jumped – and for a moment I got her attention. Quickly I said it again “When did you last see Little Foot?”   There was a pause, and then her eyes opened wide and she blurted out “We brushed our teeth together this morning – in the bathroom!”

I had looked in the bathroom probably 5 separate times, but I rushed back again.  No Little Foot. Then it came to me.  “Come on Molly!”  I grabbed her hand, pulling her and her pump behind me to the laundry room.  There, in a basket, under some wet towels, was Little Foot, slightly damp, but otherwise in fine condition.  He must have gotten accidentally swept up with the towels by someone who had no idea what trauma they were about to cause!  Molly grabbed the dinosaur and hugged him to her, tears still on her pale cheeks.  I stood there, my breath coming fast from exertion and stress, my clothes rumpled and my hair tousled from shoving my head  in closets and under beds.  

After a minute, Molly looked up at me with those big innocent eyes, smiled and said quietly, “I was never worried.  I knew where he was all the time!”