Awakening
this morning from uneasy dreams, I realized that I had the whole day to myself,
no promises, no obligations, no errands, no dues.
Ah,
summer.
So,
like most people with a summer day to burn, I went down to the beach…
…to
the banks of the Schuylkill River to catch some rays, a new paperback in hand.
It
was a typical day under the Ripe Berry Moon, although a little bit cooler than
usual for this time of year, not something I’m complaining about.
The
sunshine glared off the muddy shore, lighting up every little pebble, every
half-buried rock, every stray two-by-four and soda can washed ashore. The wind was blowing both jasmine and diesel,
pulling the waves towards the beach on a string.
And
the best part? I was entirely
alone.
Unlike
most beaches, this was a secluded place away from the noisy masses, a hidden
cove.
Next
to me, there was a large patch of high plants, no idea what they’re called.
I
usually don’t like sitting so close to strangers but, to be honest, they didn’t
look very friendly or inviting…
…those
puckered mouthpieces inching their way towards me and my summer repose.
Unable
to resist, I did grab one of those gaping maws and pulled back the thick lip of
leaves…
…only
to reveal the cranks and gears of their peculiar engineering.
Such
odd parts…but, then again, I’m sure if something ripped open my own fleshy
envelope, it would also reveal some odd parts, a strange system of beating sprockets and
mammalian machines.
Those
tangled stalks dominated half the beach here and seemed to catch the entire
spectrum of Philly’s flotsam and jetsam: beer cans, plastic bags, trash and
refuse and litter, two car batteries and one dead, bloated fish.
Warning:
August is not for the squeamish.
This
is Nature’s most efficient season, when it’s at its reddest in tooth and claw,
the hunter and the hunted dancing around the arena of Survival, the predator
and the prey in high pursuit, life and death around every bend in the trail.
The
most dangerous of hunger games.
The
Wheel right now is cranking away at a breakneck speed, around and around the lifeless
Void that lies at the very center of its heartless hub.
Ah,
summer.
Do
or die.
It’s
a cold thought for a summer day and I shouldn’t let one patch of unfriendly
plants, and one dead fish, ruin my summer day at the beach, or ruin the
experience of sinking into the curious novel I found stacked away at a local
used book store.
It
was love at first sight.
TREE HUGGING
On an alien
world, a bizarre and intelligent plant offers more than just
companionship…Strange Relations.
