Living, Breathing Storm

an angry wind tearing through the branches , swirling leaves in dizzying circles
dust laden air choking, suffocating, coating the window panes
storm clouds gathering, obliterating the sun, fighting for a place in the darkening sky

creatures scurrying, birds fleeing, my feet carry me
shutters banging, the house creaking, the door slams behind me
lightning sparks, the lamp flickers, darkness descends like a shroud

a draft creeps in under the door, the wind sneaks down the chimney
sparks smolder on the hearth where they land, then, like the lights, they go out
sitting in the dark, feeling alone, but am I?

the air is heavy, the blackness tangible, a presence in the room
I sit on my hands to still their shaking, listen to the old clock chime
if I believed in feeling fear, surely this would be the time

I posted

Hey, I posted a tribute, but it for some reason appears below joy's poem. Check it out.

Here's To You - By Joy (an uncharacteristicly cheesy post)

Here's to sweet dreams
Whilst the horizon dims
And the steady drum of waves
Hit the glassy dunes

Here's to sweet memories
Whilst the moon rises
Slowly above the cool dew
And spreads a soft light

Drink it in, my love
Drink in the sweet smell of love
Sleep still, my love
Sleep and breath in my care

Here's to sweet love
Whilst I hold you close
Soothing with the sound
Of my flowing words

Breathe it in, my love
Breathe in the cool water of my soul
Pray fair, my love
Pray lord brings me home tonight

Here's To You

Well, here I am chaps, posting at last

Dear Friends,
I decided at some prompting that I should become a member of this mutual building-up of each other via "Well...this is awkward" fest. So here is my tribute to all of you:

Disclaimer: First I would like to get out of the way any physical compliments that must be made. You are all ridiculously gorgeous and you shouldn't even need me to say this to know it. Now on to the non-shallow stuff...

Ricky:
Though at times I dearly fear for your sanity, (like for example, ehem, ehem, when you decided to hitchhike with the mexicans (no disrespect to mexicans of course)), you are fearless and full of life, something I am not always. You are wonderfully flamboyant in a way only an ex-homeschooler can be, with all of your little sayings and phrases that coming from an ugly girl would be geeky, but from someone as beautiful and stylish as yourself are absolutely charming. You are willing to push the limits and encourage the rest of us to do so, sometimes to our detriment, others times for our own good. You inspire me to just let loose and have fun when I'm being too up-tight. You are an incredibly creative person when it comes to cooking, teaching me how to whip up a fantastic pauper's soup out of the bare essentials from our pantry. I love you dearly and America just isn't the same without you. I miss you Beckster, come home safe!

Abbs:
Though you are the most reserved and conservative of us all, when we have talks you are honest and open, giving your opinion freely. You are diligent and compassionate, even if you do lose your patience from time to time (ehem, with that sister of yours). You have a flair for art and decorating, and if you don't go to college and make something of your talent I will personally kick your ass. You are sweet and adorable, and will make a wonderful home-maker someday, just wait till you've experienced what's out there first. You are motherly, a trait that many women lack, and you are good at. You will make a good mother some day, just wait a few years. On the other hand, you are also capable of having fun, and you are funny and great fun when you kick back and relax. (That was alot of "funs" in one sentence). You are also un-comprimising of your beliefs. Just keeping standing up for what you believe in, though keep an opened mind, and you will do fine. Love you!

Joy:
My dearest sister, you are something else. When I'm not fighting with you, you are the most fun person to be with. You, like Becky, have a flair for life. You bring flavor to every situation, a la Joy. You are the life of the party, and certainly don't care what anyone thinks of you. You forge ahead bravely into a world un-explored. Just be careful that you don't go to fast, but if you do try to, that's what I'm here for, (fist being punched into other palm in threatening manner) if you know what I mean. You are probably the most un-blushingly absurd and outragious person I know. My life was never the same some 16 years ago when you entered it with a bang. Though at first I tried to convince mommy to leave you at the child-birth-center, I quickly grew attached to you, and you, unfortunately quite tightly, to me. You are not at all descrete in anyway shape or form, but that is part of your charm, which you are absolutely overflowing with. You are the wild one, which I suppose nicely compliments my wise self. I love you just the way you are!

Tributes - By Becky

i guess its my turn to write my tributes to the sisters/cousins...but i am purposely writing this before reading the others that you have written...so we shall see any differences and/or similarities. here we go.

Geets:
you are sulky a lot of the time. i don't know if this is due to feeling bad about yourself, (for no aparent reason) or just being border line depressed about nothing in particular. you really have no reason to feel this way. you are hott. you probably should get out more though, cause then you'll have something to compare yourself to and see how attractive you truely are. or maybe look in the mirror a bit more often. its a technique i use on myself and have found it to be quite effective in boosting ones self esteem. even though your life sucks at times and you've been thrown into various elder child responsiblities in your family, i have always admired your mature attitude. i think thats one of the reasons we tend to lable you as the wet blanket, when in actuality, you are just plain mature because circumstances have made you that way. regardless, you are one of the best people i can count on to tell me the truth about things, wether i want to hear it or not. you are very fun to hang out with especially when you take the risk of actually doing something slightly outrageous, especially in public.

Gabbs:
I confess i have thought of you as the wall flower in the earlier years, always blending into the backround. now i realize that you were more like a little moth cacooning itself untill it becomes a beautiful butterfly, which you have. i still think you need to have a bit more excitement in your life, but i know that will come with time. obviously. for now you seem to be doing a decent job with yourself. you've changed so much in the last couple years i hardly recogize you from the little impish sister i once had. and although i may scorn you at times for your immaculately high standards, i am proud of you for being yourself and not being afraid of what others think of you. keep up the good work handling boys and keeping them in their place. this would be a good area to let your mean streak come out of hiding and be an actual bitch when the situation calls for it. (as we well know it has)

Joy:
well i have to say you're probably the most noticably intruiging individual out of us all. although the youngest of the group, you are extremely capable of acting twice your age when the situation calls for it. and i would much rather go out with you than with a group of 21 year olds. we can always count on you to bring the extra twist of strangeness that makes each experience "Soooooo-o-o-o-o GOOOO-O-O-OD" (said in the Shuddering So Good Voice) sometimes i forget how old you are, and i remember how rediculous and immiture i was when i was your age. so you are actually way ahead of the game. if you're like this now, imagine how great you'll be when you hit 19. yup, its a good age. one of the things i like about you most (and this is unusual for me to pick out of ALL the things) is your ability to adapt to any situation, whatever it may be. you are very personable (in all meanings of the word....thanks Grandma) and super pretty even though you manage to act like a boy some of the time. thats a tribute that many guys adore.

My little hobbit -by Abby

i know i'm posting way more often than anybody else, but who cares? at least i'm being true the the blog...

Yesterday afternoon I was in my bathroom when I hear Benny in his little hobbit voice announce, "Okay guys, I'm going to Corey's house" as he tromped downstairs. I yelled after him, "You are NOT!" because I did not feel like traipsing over there to retrieve him. I then resumed my cleaning, or primping, I don't remember which it was, without a second thought to his proclamation. About five minutes later, my mom yells up the stairs, "girls? is Benny up there with you??" He wasn't, and we promptly started yelling for him at the top of our lungs. Then I hear Corey's voice coming from the kitchen (oh Lord, NOW what?), and a moment later my mom yells up to me, "Abby, Benny just went over to the neighbors' yard!"

It turns out, he invited him self over, decked out in his red rain boots, and started tugging on Corey's shorts (while he was using the weed-wacker in his back yard). It scared the crud out of the poor guy! Needless to say, the doors are staying LOCKED while my mom's in Israel!

Soldier-Girl, In Thee We Trust? -by Abby

Now that Rebecca is about to go into the Israeli Army, I deem myself permitted to relay this story to you:



Once upon a dark night, Rebecca and I were riding the bus home from down-town Jerusalem. The time was near 11 o'clock pm. We were the last two passengers aboard the bus, besides the driver himself. The rain pattered on the roof and trickled lazily across the windows, adding to the ominous atmosphere conjured up in our imaginations (which I assure you were working over-time that night). As the bus wound its way through the dark neighborhood of Castel, precariously weaving between parked cars, dumpsters, and empty bus stops, Rebecca and I grew increasingly aware of the late hour and our perceived predicament. Suddenly, like the beating of our hearts, the huge bus came to a stop. The driver, a man in his mid-fourties, eased himself from his seat behind the wheel, and made his way toward the back of the bus. Slowly and deliberately he checked each row of seats he came to, as if expecting to find something left behind by a passenger, for he was nearing the end of his route. Feigning interest in the dark surroundings outside the bus, Rebecca and I kept a warry eye on the man. At last, he made his way back to his seat, and with relief we assumed that we would now proceed on home. But it was not to be. Sitting glassy-eyed beneath the flickering florescent light, we watched him get comfortable, then reach up and switch off the small light above him. "Death and Doom" ringing in our ears, we held a quiet councel of war. Reaching nervously into her purse, Rebecca retrieved a black switch-blade given to her by Aaron. A weapon I highly doubted her skill with. But doubt would get us nowhere, so I glanced about the bus, and my eyes alighted on the row of glass-breakers hung above the window to my right and two rows ahead. Speaking a combination of Chihuahua (our made-up language), a few words of english, and reading each other's lips, it was agreed that if the man attempted to approach us Rebecca would lash out at him with her switch-blade (which she had tucked under the sleeve of her shirt) and I would clambor over the seats in front of me, snatch up a glass-breaker, and bash out one of the windows. Assuming the guy was at that point helpless and bleeding (and not the other way around) we would then leap from the window to the street five feet below, and set out for home.

Well, all our planning was for naught. After a brief rest, the driver flicked on his light, and proceeded on towards our bus stop unaware of the planned assasination from the back seat. So never make an assumption about your driver when you don't know his evening schedule. Or if you really want to avoide lowering yourself to the level of legitimate stupidity, only carry a switch-blade if you know how to use it, or just don't ride the bus after 11 pm.