I had too much for supper
I wish I had an upper
An upper makes you eat a little less
my pants are just a little tight
my tummy's gotten less polite
And my knee makes crackly noises when I move
if I pushed my plate away at dinner
I might be a little thinner
But the TV's on, and in the stress
of storm reports and damages
we're chowing down like savages
as we wonder if our house still has a roof
or a deck or a pool or a little front walk
and the garage will open with only a spark -
the opposite of burglar-proof...
We couldn't look at Paris ruins,
at illuminated charts of moons,
at forgotten pasts, at arts trouvés...
off to dinner, thoughts a mess
if only those worries would go away!
my apartment's full of friendly folks
drinking my wine, telling jokes,
for it has power, they had not
and I reached them by phone and said "Come and stay
till it's safe to go back to see what's what."
But my poor little house is alone at the beach
with no one around that I can reach
and so with a sigh I put on a dress
that doesn't quite button, and shoes that don't close -
How did I gain weight on the tips of my toes?
It's just water weight, says the girl in the lobby.
well, yes.
At least we voted before we left.
still hoping and praying for those in adversity
22 comments:
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Oh Fred I was wondering about your house. I hope everything is okay, when are you coming home? And never mind your buttons, plenty of time for NOT eating good food when you are back home. Safe travels, xo!
ReplyDeletethanks, dani, on to London by Chunnel tomorrow!
DeleteThat was wonderful though bittersweet, I hope you home is okay, I would love to live by water one day.
ReplyDeletethanks, Tabs, if global warming continues one day we will all live near water.
DeleteHow generous of you to let friends camp over at yours! Hopefully your beach house is still intact.
ReplyDeletehi, Rose, we're trying to get calls through out there, thinking of calling the local police but they probably have their hands full.
Deletewe have another day in Paris, then the rest of the week in London. I'm taking snaps and will probably put up some travel posts from home. We haven't heard anything about our house since the day the storm started, when we got a text from the lovely man who takes car of the pool that the pool was closed (covered) and the outdoor furniture stacked. We keep things very simple out there, but still... My sister loves in the center of Long Island, her power just came back on, but roads are still flooded and there is a large hole in her roof.
ReplyDeleteAnd...if you chunnel, please do yourselves a favor and stop in and meet the gentlemen at Rough Luxe-right near the station-wherein you shall find an anger management machine and all things wonderful and fun. Tell them Gail and Andrew sent you for a look see and don't mind the sign on the door. Just knock and they will certainly let you in for a tour.
DeleteAA
a. anger management machine? worth looking at.
DeletePromise. Oh today. May tomorrow be a calmer day. Keep frolicking.
DeleteOh Gosh! So generous of you to open your apartment to those without power! I would do the same! I am crossing fingers and toes and everything for your house on Long Island! Your poor sister! What a dreadful storm!
ReplyDeletenothing special on my part, WMM, just wish we had more facts. we had an email from our little local library, so some power may be restored out East. But my books will be late anyway.
ReplyDeleteOh Fred, thank you for the sublime rhyme. My heart goes out to your sister. The aftermath lingers far too long. If it is any comfort, my relatives have a house in the Hamptons and their entire block was unscathed. I can only hope the same for your casita. Enjoy your serenity, far away from the madness running up to our contentious election.
ReplyDeletewell, the various news outlets are carrying on with almost a vicious glee, the US in a state of complete collapse and so on. I understand that they have their own agendas, but I am disappointed in CNN. We're on to London shortly and hoping for a better selection of hotel-chosen channels. Reading NYT etc on the iPad isn't quite the antidote I hoped for.
DeleteNot to be maudlin, but right now you are a citizen of the world and entitled (to use an often misused concept) to enjoy the moments you are experiencing. Take your pleasure as and where you find it. One never knows what horrors may be lurking in the 'basement'. Live the vacation, the trauma (if it even exists) will await your return.
DeleteAA
How dreadful to be afar when disaster strikes and not enough data comes through. I'm so sorry you can't fully enjoy your holiday. I'm hoping for the best your house was spared and your sister gets her troubles behind easily and quickly. Husby is from LI so I feel a little connection. Y
ReplyDeletees, still praying for those in adversity.
Hi, tr, yes, the news is always more compelling when you know a place. Himself spent his childhood summers at the Jersey Shore, and while I joke that I was the one who showed him real beaches for the first time, it was still compelling to see him gaping at the tv shots of whole communities washed away. And of course we have to think that LI isn't shown because the damage elsewhere is more dramatic...
DeleteYour thoughts are correct about relative damage to LI vs NJ
Delete.
I would be eating, too. What else can you do. I hope you have good news and all those dear to you are safe.
ReplyDeletethanks, gigi! Of course any coastline is vulnerable, I grew up with hurricanes the way Californians grow up with mud slides (I think), and the house is always stocked with canned goods and candles, it's the not knowing...
ReplyDeleteI do hope all is well at Flintstone Manor; it must be so stressful not to know what is happening. Very little about Long Island in any press except the part proximal to NYC; some about the CT coast but that is a mess ( I have a sister there). I suppose you have to just accept and enjoy your time away, nothing you can do. And another storm is predicted for Wed-Thurs, "just" a nor'easter but certainly the 2 million still without power do not need more 50mph wind.
ReplyDeleteWe are looking forward to more travel posts and more of those meals! You can do restoration work on the waistline when you return.
I am having a brief non-business trip to NYC Wed-Fri and will add my small economic stimulus to the area; I have tickets to the Jake Gynllenhaal play. Need to see if hotel are a problem after the marathon cancellation!
thanks, Lane, we learned a short time ago that there is power at the house, which is good because it means that the village inspectors didn't shut it down due to water damage. And we had call from someone who'd been driving by, no trees down, no visible outdoor damage. I hope your sister and her family continue to stay safe, the latest weather reports are concerning...
ReplyDelete