walking into nighttime

[asakiyume]

At this latitude, at this time of year, it's easy to walk into nighttime--it comes rushing up to meet you. Tonight small birds were employing their magic to disguise themselves as leaves: sparrows fluttered up off the ground--then became elm leaves when I looked more closely; a killdeer or other small plover ran across the road, but feeling my eyes on him, became an oak leaf.

It was still daytime--but only just--when, after one failed attempt, I worked up nerve to go down the long drive and then up the forbidding steps of the house that's attached to the property where the goat was. I had a carrot for the goat and a note to leave if no one was home. The house was as tumbledown as everything else. There was an artificial pine wreath on the door, which was encouraging, but snarling dogs jumped at the door's window when I knocked, which was not. I didn't leave my note. I walked around to where I had seen the goat before, but she wasn't in her little pen.

The sky was pink when I went to the little shrine of glass and candles beside our church and left an offering for other people's hopes and prayers (and also for the goat).

Night had settled in to roost by the time I was buying eggs at the convenience store.

"Someone's parked in your loading ramp; you'll have to have 'em towed," said an old guy to the young and handsome manager.

"No, no, that's me," said the manager. "I'm parked there."

"I know, I know it's you; I'm kidding you," said the old guy.

"That's my Mercedes--how to you like it?" asked the manager.

"That's not a Mercedes; that's one of those Hondas or something," said the old guy. "I bet you only bring out the Mercedes when you're taking out the girls."

"It's not a Honda, it's a Mazda," said the girl at the checkout.

"Yeah, a Mazda; my Mercedes is a Mazda," said the manager.

"Mazda, Honda, one of those foreign cars," said the old guy (which I thought was amusing, because what's a Mercedes then?)

As I left, the old guy said to me, "Stay warm!"

I thanked him and told him I would.

Comments

[bogwitch64.livejournal.com]

Oh, no! Where's the little goat? I hope someplace warm.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I hope so too!

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

Thirded!

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

Birds turn into leaves to hide from prying eyes. I wonder how they notice what happens to them. Maybe some came back to bird form in a windstorm and that's why so many died in Arkansas and Louisiana. They have to stay leaves throughout the winter to stay safe...

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Yes--and then there are the times that things that being as leaves turn into birds and other things. I have a idea along those lines that I might share on LJ at some point.

It was strange and sad about those birds in Arkansas (and Louisiana? I only heard about Arkansas).

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

Sweden as well. It's weird and sort of alarming. Also a huge fish kill.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

:-(

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

Yeah.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

I hope the goat is okay!

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Me too--I wish I could make sure it was.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Oh! New musical discovery--try the album and see if you like it, Robert Cacciapaglia, Quarto Tempo, but also the song Devinire on the Devinire album

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Especially "Devinire."

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Will do--is there a YouTube video, or shall I check out a sound sample on iTunes or Amazon?

(BTW, I may get to hear the Jezabels perform, the ones that sang that song "Hurt Me" that made you think of Senrid)

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Go over to itunes--you can now hear a whole minute to give you a good idea

Ludovico Einaudi - Divenire

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Oh--it sends shivers all through me. It is **beautiful**

And it's not available in MP3 :-(

--Does it make you think of Liere? It makes me think of her.

Re: Ludovico Einaudi - Divenire

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

YES! I was listening to that this morning, trying to find a way in to Liere's love story.

[i-am-sarah.livejournal.com]

Funny conversation :)

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I thought so--I love overhearing things like that.

[jme-woodstream.livejournal.com]

Oh! Breath caught in throat by beauty of opening bird/leaf images. Poetry. Magic. Oh!

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

:D Keep your eyes out for shapeshifting leaves and birds.

[skogkatt.livejournal.com]

Poor little goat. I hope she is safe and warm. Sometimes I think walking into night is lovely and other times ominous. Usually once it is dark, I find everything calm and interesting. it's the transition time that can be iffy.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I was thinking about the goat again today, because I feel like I failed it...

It feels iffy to me too, walking into night. Free and wild sometimes, but desperate sometimes, too. I didn't feel quite stable, that day. I felt like my unreality was showing.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

A 'killdeer'. That's a great name for a bird.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

They are very pretty birds! They have that name because theoretically that's what their call sounds like they're saying (but I'm not persuaded) (Not my photo, I should add--I found it in a Google image search)

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

It's like a streamlined version of a ringed plover! I couldn't figure out why it had been called a 'killdeer' - the fact that its call sounds like 'killdeer' makes perfect sense...