Storm Time

from http://www.wfsb.com/ 

I love storms.

The smell,

The fizzle crackle in the air,

And the sound of rain.

But tonight I was nervous. 

Warnings of flash floods and tornadoes across the state,

And being a grown-up in a place of children,

I felt a responsibility. 

A couple of the campers I work with

Are afraid of storms,

And I came across one of my theatre babies

In the theatre,

Huddled over

Tense and barely breathing.

I sat with her,

Offered my hand

And she clasped it tight.

And every time the thunder roared

She held her breath and shivered.

We sat together,

And chatted through the storm.

I joked about singing My Favorite Things

It seemed appropriate. 

And we giggled at the thought of becoming the cliche. 

And to help her breathe

I told her breathing deeply would be like practicing diaphragm exercises. 

If she wanted to play Elphaba, she’d better get practicing. 

It made her laugh. She breathed, and trembled a little less with every thunder clap. 

The storm passed. 

I ended up sitting in the Music Shed with a couple of campers

And my friend with a beautiful wooden flute.

Occasional patters of rain danced across the roof.

My friend played his flute.

And I felt calm. 

And I felt that this is what being a grown-up must be like.

To be put your own fears aside

And help the smaller ones around you. 

The end. 

It's Raining, It's Pouring

Rain is absolutely falling from the sky. It’s been raining for three days straight. The constant patter of the rain on the roof on the trees on the pavement on all the towels and swimmers hanging on the line and on the umbrella above the porch. Everything is damp. Everything smells of wet. But I’m singin’ in the rain. I’m dancin’ in the rain. I’m laughing at those clouds up above. I am in Connecticut. I’m smack bang in the middle of a grand adventure. I’m Living The Dream of being a world traveler, of living overseas, of being a creative soul. It’s raining, it’s pouring, my heart is absolutely soaring. The grass is green. The trees are green. The pavement is shiny black. It’s okay to fall in love again. It’s wonderful. Of course, it is raining. Soon I’ll be in London, the land of stereotypical quintessential rain. I’ll be standing in the English rain! Nearly all significant events of my life happen in rain. The day I was born. The day I started school. The first time I visited drama school. The first time I traveled overseas. The day my ex-fiance decided to end our relationship. The day I started uni the drought actually broke (for a bit). Dear London. Apologies in advance. It’s probably going to rain a lot between the end of August and early September. The end. 

The Life I Lead

to dance around the living room

to watch cyd with her legs up to eternity flirt with gene

who danced in the rain laced with milk

so it would be more visible on camera

to watch yul and deborah

one-two-three-and across the royal palace of what is now Thailand 

but used to be called Siam

etcetera etcetera etcetera!

to have tea with jam and bread on the mountains of austria

maria and mary are your nannies

julie is magical because she sings and dances and appears in two different movies with different coloured hair and rescues the children of europe and england from their sad fathers

just a spoonful of sugar and imagination and pop into the pavement to win races

singing makes everybody happy 

even retired grumpy sea captains

yes sir!

to want to be a part of that world

to be a strong princess

to be like barbara and fiercely independent and capable

just leave everything to meeee

hello dolly, hello dolly, it’s so nice 

to one day find yourself transported

from the land of oz to the rooftops of london 

and all you have to do is click your shiny red shoes together

and wish and pray your life could be enchanted

the end.