Surfers make up a mysterious clan. They rise early and stand at attention on the shore, surveying the tides. When ready, they windmill out full bore against the sets, dive under the rolling foam and coast over smooth shoulders. Then they rest, meditatively, facing their version of Mecca, pilgrims before a god. Time passes, sometimes an hour or more spent in this monastic contemplation. Then, all at once, they’re summoned in unison by some mystical cue heralding the ridable wave. In concert, they propel bodies and boards in the direction of a feathering lip of water that peels around the reef the same way it has for millennia. Some catch the ride, returning gracefully to shore. Others lose momentum or balance, and trudge back out for another try.
#dailylines #redtide #scarletkumquat #nanowrimo #nanowrimo2019
We grew up having races down the halls, eighteenth century prosperity-era portraits of people we never knew, following us with fixed stares. We pretended to be front desk attendants, maids and bell hops. Mostly I’d make her be the customer while I acted out each role in sequence behind the front desk. We’d jump on the bare mattresses which thumped dusty antique headboards against the walls, dial fake numbers to imaginary relatives on the cherry red rotary telephones, and make Granny generally nervous with our unguarded squealing.
#scarletkumquat #redtide #dailylines #nanowrimo
This crew. They asked me to do something scary, something deep and meaningful, something none of us will ever forget. It was such an honor to officiate this couple’s union. Beautiful bride and groom, colorful kids, friendship, love. We got it all 💜@crochetgypsy1929
#union #zadiejumpsuit #coloradowedding #kin #kinship #scarletkumquat
The sun was low in the sky. Slashes of incandescent pinks and greys rippled above the horizon, casting awesome rays up to the heavens. Great mounds of kelp piled up along the shore, accompanied by feasting swarms of sand flies. Sandpipers scurried behind the retreating tide, siphoning their afternoon meal of marine worms and crustaceans. A seagull sailed in a large arc near the shore, while others on the sand screeched out at each other, dueling for a discarded bag of chips.
Light against his wet back shone a glittery gold as he waded in the waist-deep water. I drew circles in the sand, and collected sea glass—excoriated, gem-like remnants of discarded bottles and jars, washed to shore after a voyage at sea. The lifeguard closed up his tower, then removed the green flag from the eave and packed it away. Men walked along the wet sand in singles and pairs, some holding hands. Close by, two young men lay on a Mexican blanket, giggling and rubbing each other’s backs.
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Mom’s make circa early 70’s. She used to let me wear it as a teenager. Still makes me feel like a sprite 🧚🏻♂️ #dailylines #scarletkumquat #mymothersmake
I heard muffled sobbing behind her bedroom door. Although I couldn’t see her, the weeping and trembling of her little fractured soul were audible though the thick wood. She lay in the bed, a heaping mound of black velvet and thick, white goose down, her face buried deep in the feather pillows. I sat at her side and placed a hand on her back, stroking softly. She was warm and quaking, snuffling tears back into her nose. .
“I want to die!” she cried, her words muzzled by the thick down. I pulled a soft, wet tendril of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. She swatted my hand and turned away.
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”No.” I said. “Dying won’t heal the evil in that woman.”
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“Oh no?” she cried. “She thinks I’m a joke! A disgrace! An awkward, fat girl unfit to attend parties or be shopped for or-, or-, or any of the things that she does for you! I hate her, and I hate myself!” Her sobbing resumed as she curled up into a fetal position around the down and started rocking. .
“That’s not true.” I insisted, moving in close and laying down by her side. “She’s just a nasty woman, full of spite and envy, without loyalty to anyone, not even her own kin.” It pained me to state these facts out loud, but they were truer than a mother’s unconditional love for her babe. She cared for no one.
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I uncovered her sweaty, clenched fist buried in the velvet of her dress and squeezed. “I think you’re beautiful, and smart, and a comedian comparable to none. Wouldn’t trade you in if they offered me the world.”
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The cries paused as she turned to me, her sapphire eyes ruddy, the lids swollen around them. Her cheeks were damp and flush. I kissed one. A soft smile parted her lips as she let out a long, warm exhale onto my chest. .
“It’s going to be OK.” .
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#scarletkumquat #dailylines #momsfirstquilt
