Tears of the Earth

The day dawned bright

But soon turned gloomy

Big black clouds loomed

And the forecast was rainy

People walked with umbrellas

Over their heads

As torrents of water hit them

Was it rain?

Or was it the Earth shedding tears?

For her long lost loves-the trees

The flowers and the insects

Was she mourning the lack of fresh air

And choking on carbon monoxide

Wondering when it was that the decay started?

She remembered days of sunshine

With birds and small animals in droves

She remembered a time without motor cars

When carbon footprints were unknown

I wonder, will she ever stop crying?

Or will downpours like this happen daily?

Where did we go wrong

In our quest to attain glories?

The Bilge Master

The Dancing Girl-A Guest Post by My Mother

It gives me great pleasure to welcome my mother back to the blog. She is a far better writer than I am and helped me out by writing this short story. Give it up for my mother people!

The Bilge Master

 It had been a scorching day. The relentless sun had punished the city and its surrounds as never before. But now the ochre-ish ball of fire had slowly been immersed into the pool of hellfire underneath the horizon, where  it was going to recharge its power all night for the next day. The moon had been waxing for more than 13 days now and its timid face would soon spread its soothing balm and grant a little respite, or so she hoped. She came out of the room and took in a lungful of air. It was dry and dusty. Was a slight breeze blowing, or was it just her longing that made her skin quiver? She waited for a while before trying out her bare feet on the exposed courtyard and found that it was just about cool enough to hop across and climb up to the terrace above. She spread the torn robe that she had brought with her on the north-east corner and looked around her. A ghostly sight indeed! She could make out the lightless dwellings and streets which had once reflected the light of hundreds of lamps. Nor were there any sounds or smells of people gathered around their hearths. The empty brick kilns were no longer aglow and in the distance the granary and the bath were also on the way to being unearthly becoming mausoleums.

She turned around to the south to look with despairing eyes at the fruitless fields where there used to be lush green plantations of crops that were now just covered with dust. The forests too had disappeared leaving only a few stumps shrivelled and as she knew to her cost, too brittle to be used even to feed the ovens. There were no more smells but that of death and desolation all around. The River was flowing a long way off now, having changed its course and leaving only a deep furrow with crumbling banks in its place. Everyone had packed up and moved with it and she wondered for the umpteenth time why she hadn't accompanied them. There was no logical, coherent reason of her having remained; just a foolish sentiment of a life spent in the city with its perfectly planned houses, roads and streets, runny symmetrically at right angles to each other. She had come to it a mere child and its concise perfection and smoothly running orderly life, with plenty everywhere had given her a thrill of admiration and pride to be part of it all. As she had grown into womanhood, her beauty had been extolled all over the city and she had learned to dance with grace and beauty from her masters appointed for her by none other than the Lordly One. She had danced and entertained and won accolades of all. On feast days, the Lordly One  had graced the occasion only to watch her dance. He was mighty and strong with his large eyes, crispy curling mane of hair and beard, regal and proud. She had lost her heart to him like scores of others.

He had ordained his best artist to capture her in stone to keep with him always and had also so oft looked upon her with expressions of tenderness and love. She had been the envy of the womenfolk of the city and had reveled in it. But the Lordly One was gone now, far away from this world to the valley of flowers where people went after leaving their earthly bonds. Her bubble of happiness had burst and as the funeral rites progressed amidst loud lamentations, she had stayed in this house in her room, her youth and beauty gone forever. So when everybody left she had been cajoled over and over again to go with them but she had not been able to do so, but had remained grieving at His passing even after so much time had elapsed. She was old now and she knew that she would not have to endure this life for much longer. So why go? Why start life afresh with a benumbed mind and time worn body?

They had left her enough baked grain cakes and water to last for a month or so. She had hardly eaten for the last eight days since the last of the denizens had left. She had rationed her water just wetting her lips and only drinking when thirst made her reach the point of desperation. As she stood on the terrace, looking upon the silvery lighted surrounds, she suddenly knew tonight would be the night. Before the cruel sun rose again she too would join Him in the valley of flowers. The people had gone to find life along the changed course of the River and would be far too busy setting up life once more to remember Him or her for long. She took a deep lungful of air and lay down on the robe and wondered about the meaning of life and how time, the passing of which eradicated all that had been and only progressed to all that would be. She was getting colder and colder, her limbs powerless to move and the last thought before her last breath was that of His face looking at her fondly.

She was not to know that several centuries later, this abandoned city would be found, quite by accident and her stone figurine, the Lordly One's statuette, all the artifacts, the streets, the great baths and the granary would be excavated and fill the world by wonder of such an early civilization with such scientific precision. The writing on the everyday seals  would not be deciphered even by the most sophisticated computers and so remain a mystery. The banks of the Indus would be dotted with such civilizations and be discovered too and she would have been very happy to know that she would be very aptly named "The Dancing Girl", and her beauty immortalized forever

Italy Seen Through My Eyes- A Guest Post by Amanda Burkhalter

The amazing Amanda Burkhalter stopped by with a travel blog today!  Enjoy reading about her trip to Italy and welcome her warmly to the blog people!

The Bilge Master

Ciao! I'm Amanda and it's my pleasure to share my Italian adventures with you all! I am a Dreamer to the core, a wife to the most amazing man, a Mamma to the sweetest, smartest little boy. I'm from the Orlando area and I'm also a photographer. I am a lover of all the things coffee, football (the real football, not that American junk), art, and travel.

Part 1- Gaeta

Growing up, I heard countless stories of my parent's ventures abroad. My Mom was a Military brat and my Dad was in the Navy. My Mom has lived all over the United States and in several different counties, my parents met in Panama and after they were married they while moved to Italy while my Dad was stationed there for 8 years. Though my parents returned to the States shortly before I was born, I joke that I grew up Italian in the States. My parents continued with many of the Italian habits and traditions they picked up while living in the beautiful country.

All my life I dreamed of making my own trip to Italy. Finally, for my 30^th birthday the dream became a reality. One of my very best friends, M, was able to accompany me on my adventure.

My main goal for our trip was to get to one of the cities my parents lived in. We decided to stay in Rome for the week and travel down to Gaeta, a beautiful and quaint seaside resort town where my parents lived for four years. We flew into Madrid from the States and then over to Rome. We got settled into our beautiful hotel, had dinner, got to sleep, and early the next morning boarded a train to Formia. From Formia we had a short bus ride to Gaeta.

In Gaeta, we could already tell that this town did not have the same touristy feel that Rome did. Which was simply amazing. This was authentic Italy. Between the both of our language abilities, we were able to find a beautiful restaurant, had the most amazing meal I have ever tasted, and then M found the beach for me! I was able to put my feet into the Mediterranean Sea! It was cold. But, because we were there in May, season had not started yet, so we have it nearly to ourselves.

That day was one that I will never forget. The way the cold water washed over my feet. The taste of the very best food I ever tasted, mozzarella di bufala. Ordering two espressos from a sea side cafe and sipping it overlooking the bay. In that city my heart found peace, it was a place where the mountains met the sea and my soul was at home.

Part 2- Rome

Rome, the Eternal City.

Rome was amazing. It is a fast passed city with an old world feel. I'm not sure there is anywhere else in the world like it. It's a strange and beautiful mix of old world and new.

My favorite things about Rome were the Colosseum and the Forum. Being surrendered by that History was amazing. Walking up from the Subway and seeing the Colosseum come into view was breath-taking. I literally started to tear up. The sheer size of it is astounding. The Colosseum is huge. It is hard to imagine that it was built in 70-80 AD. And the Forum was awesome, it's like being into another time.

I would also recommend checking out the Spanish Steps, The Bocca Della Verita, The Trevi Fountain, and the Open Air Markets, Campo de Fiori was my favorite. It was so fun to wonder around seeing all the fresh fruits and flowers. The colors were something else.

The Vatican was simply amazing. Seeing the the Sistine Chapel in person was a once in a life-time experience. If possible, I recommend getting the earliest ticket to the museum that they have, something in the 8 am or 9 am hour and rush back to the Sistine Chapel to experience it while it's not packed to the brim. Then come back and explore the rest of the museum at your leisure.

Another amazing spot in Rome is Trastevere. It's where the locals live. It's one of most traditional neighborhoods in Rome. It has charming alleyways paved with cobblestone are a perfect place to wander.

One last tip for traveling in Rome, if the gelato looks fluffy and is covered in cookies and treats, it's not the real deal. Find a Gelateria that has their gelato in massive vats. That's the real deal and the best gelato ever. I recommend the coffee flavored.

Part 3- Florence

Florence was simply lovely. So full of art and life. Art is everywhere you turn. Street artists making masterpieces right on the sidewalk and the Cathedral of Florence... the myriad of museums. The Uffizi and the Galleria dell'accademia di Firenze to name a couple. 

Florence is a great place to wander to see what you can find. We spent the day in the Florence Cathedral, formally the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, the Uffizi Gallery, and the Pizza della Repubblica.

The Cathedral was beautiful inside and out. It's the third largest church in the world and it has so much history.

The Uffizi was my favorite! We found all the Teenage Mutent Ninja Turtles, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, and Leonardo! But, Botticelli was probably my favorite of the day. I studied Birth of Venus and Primavera extensively while in college. It was amazing to see both of those works in person.

Another great find in Florence was the Piazza della Repubblica and the Antique Carousel of the Picci Family. The Carousel was beautiful. Something out of a dream for sure.

While I was in Italy, I really learned about myself. It was a such an eye-opening and breath-taking experience. I would recommend for anyone to travel, if you can make your dream trip come true, do it! If you dream trip is unreachable right now, take a smaller trip... go somewhere you've never been, meet new people. Explore and wander. Do something good for your soul.

Thanks for reading about my experiences in Italy, I've really enjoyed sharing with you!
And remember... “Not all those who wander are lost.”

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