Wednesday, October 7, 2009

just an escape...























you’ll find her in a rambling old house, not too big, not too small, built of sandstone in nineteen hundred and four. it’s a house with scented floors that gently creak their welcome and keep you company as you pass through the rooms. here the walls are thick and solid to the touch, in shades of red wine and the green of the trees through the windows, these are wall that protect and that guard the secrets of the whispered words shared in their space. and as you wander through this warm, gentle home, your eyes will catch glints of crystal and silver amongst candles on scattered silk sheets of gold.

when the sun bows its head and the rays of the moon douse the earth, the scent of sweet jasmine tags along the night breeze through windows with gently billowing curtains. some nights all you’ll hear is the crackling of a fire to the turning of the pages of a book. she’ll be curled up in a huge wingback chair alongside the fireplace, whilst the soft snores of puppy dreams float in the air. and on other nights you will hear the strings of guitars telling of nights in paris or a love that’s been lost. these will mingle with cheerful chatter and the tingling of ice in glasses, almost the same pitch as the laughter that rings through the night. you may also be enticed by the scent of a meal, a simple feast, that inflames the senses to savour, to take your time and enjoy. and when the last stings of the guitar fade silently into the night, she will walk through the house and with a tender touch, arrange and close and blow out and store, as she puts her house to sleep…

in the morning she’ll rise to the rays from the east, freeing the pups into a forest of fragrant pines, into air so fresh, so pure and untouched, almost tangible as she deeply breathes it in. she will stretch her limbs awake through grassy and ferny trails to the songs of birds in treetops high. she may spot a deer at the gently bubbling brook that snakes its way though the gentle curves of the mountainside, or she may be the only one there.

her days have an unrushed list of to-do’s, she will follow the nudges of need. she’ll hum as the broom clears the dust off floorboards and she’ll talk to her furry friends while she drinks a cup of tea. she’ll feel the breath of fresh air through the open window at the sink, while the suds wash away the dirt. and in welcoming sunshine dappled through the trees, she’ll shape the garden that naturally grows, the blooms the ones nature placed in her care.

a scattering of faces may arrive unannounced, and be welcomed with barks and swishing tails, to depart further into their day after coffee or iced tea, sharing a thought, an opinion or two. she may call her pups and head down the road, not far, to the settlement down below. there she will fill her basket with fresh fruit, with cheeses, a bread or two. she will greet the shopkeepers by name, exchange a smile and a few words, pretending not to see the treats that are sneaked to the grinning faces with chocolate brown eyes.

it’s a place of few demands, filled with simplistic honesty and a solitude she desperately craves. here the need to speak disappears, and where thoughts and feelings reign. it's a place to build, re-charge and create, a temporary refuge, as it fuels the drive for words she writes late into the night. it’s a part of the world, not her own, yet it feels like home. the words that are spoken convey their meaning, though they may not sound familiar. it may not exist by the name that she calls it, but it surely is alive somewhere…





49 comments:

  1. If the place is alive within then it is carried wherever she goes and that is good enough for now as she seeks a physical expression of her chair by the fireside.

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  2. Felt every sense, every emotion, travelled the journey through your words...Thank you!

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  3. shadow this story makes my heart pound in my ears in rhythm with the beautifully evoked sense of place,
    like a blessing is wrapped in the vision inside this story. a very generous and sensitive piece. many thnx

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  4. I must admit Shadow, sometimes your writings are just so deep, I do not understand. But, I sense the intensity of your words and the passion. I am still blessed. Thank you!

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  5. This writing was spoiled for me by the absence of capital letters. What are you trying to achieve by omitting them? All it shows to me is a lazy typist who lacks a working knowledge of the rules of grammar.

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  6. Shadow!

    ONE HUNDRED YEARS from now, students and scholars will be reading, studying, and enjoying your writings.

    These are words coming from the Master...day in, and day out. LOVE!

    Thank you. PEACE!

    and thanks for your lovely comment on my attempt at writing in a loosely poetic form today. It is wonderful to receive support from Obi Wan K.

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  7. to ANONYMOUS... i welcome critique regarding my work. however, leave a trail so that i can present my point. thank you.

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  8. i hate those anonymous comments... what right do they have to say anything at all??? i love the no-use of capital letters. has they read the story and grasped the wisdom in them? no.
    sorry about that > i'd delete it, unless you like the controversy!
    BEAUTIFUL POST -as always dear shadow. ;)

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  9. A beautiful piece filled with the dreams and hopes that live eternally within us.

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  10. This made me think of one of the bloggers I follow, I wonder if you were thinking of her too. jeNN

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  11. The imagery and presence of these scenes were so potent. Excellent writing!

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  12. Wow. Your prose is as good as your poetry. You are amazing. And don't pay any attention to 'Anonymous'. That person, apparently, doesn't understand Art.

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  13. i completely disagree with anonymous...i sometimes go all lower case, not for laziness but for meaning...sometimes reverence of specialness...an intriguing change of pace today...peaceful in the wonders of solitude we all need and crave at times.

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  14. What's up with anonymous?

    Love this! I want to be the woman in your story! I want that solitude, that crackling fire, the pages turning, sun rising in the east, tending the garden, chocolate faces...I love it all! Great, great story! Thank you for sharing the poetry in your heart-it's beautiful!

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  15. Shadow, this is such beautiful, beautiful writing!
    I skip caps all the time, no matter. It is the words and the sentiment and the beauty of those words that truly matter. We know that!

    ...and you know when I read this, it reminded me so much of my life, my quiet, that has changed these days, but I am still rewarded with those kinds of moments here and there.

    I loved it all!

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  16. So amazingly beautiful. I always think your writing has a breeze of nostalgy. When i breathe in the words, i travel through memories and emotions!
    Once again beautiful!
    Ps. Shadow now rules the house, is best friends with Tsitsini(she mothers him!) and constantly breaking stuff!
    Brightest blessings

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  17. Beautiful prose, lovely imagery. I really enjoyed reading this.

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  18. Wonderful Shadow, you painted a great picture with your words. There was the underlining of a great works by the Brothers Grimm in it. I could so get caught up in living her life ever once in a while. Thanks for taking me there.

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  19. Leaves me not wanting to turn round, in case I see something I don't like!

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  20. I want to live there too!
    Loved this line the most: 'she will follow the nudges of need..'

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  21. your writing is as beautiful as the home you have painted...

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  22. Beautiful! Perfect picture for those words. Thanks for posting this today.

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  23. i think the walking man just added a beautiful line to this story, wow well done.

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  24. somewhere close by.....maybe just beyond some shaded horizon....we two....have shared the same path...the same shadows....the same corners.....filled with laughter....or tears.....loved....hated.....sorrowed....for that which we found.....and that which we did not.....

    ever yours Shadow....in the same places in the heart.

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  25. Shadow, this made me feel so peaceful. Thanks so much for writing this. I like the description of the house and the furry friends that are around.

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  26. Your way with words leaves nothing to be desired, and the lack of capitals matters nought.

    The welcoming creaky floorboards are well-known in the cottages, and the mansion house, around here!

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  27. sure that it is alive somewhere !!
    i would love to go there .. or have a similar place with a similar companion ...

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  28. Feel like relaxing by that tree in the picture and listening to your words in my mind.

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  29. I want to live here. How do I find this place? I think I am drawn more to the lifestyle than the physical building but surely the scent of jasmine and the garden of blooms placed in her care by nature are amazing inducements to find this place and live here. This is such a lovely post. I can't even tell you adequately how much this means to me.

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  30. Well, I can say... I love your prose. I wonder if you found such a place or is it in your inner world. As to that anonymous, who is coward enough not to identify him or herself... I normally keep fro using offensive words. Don't pay attention. Not worth it! Love.

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  31. Shadow, you have such a gift... whether through your poetry or stories you are able to paint such a clear picture and evoke such a depth of feeling with your words. When I'm reading your work, I always feel as though I'm right there and really "get" what's going on.

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  32. Shadow, this is so beautiful. You've described it so lovingly. And yes, such a place must exist somewhere. This is without a doubt one of my favorites that you've ever created. :-)

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  33. Shadow- I love the story. She seems to be her own world, seperate from the world about her for necessity's sake. And she prospers. Hoping for more. ~rick

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  34. Shadow, this is so good. Thank you dear one for your continued posting from your heart. Blessings!

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  35. I would so like to get directions to this place!

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  36. I have been craving fairy tales, and you of all, have placed one there.

    Book this!

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  37. love this Shadow...
    a sweet read that arrives wonderfully in the poetic place of my heart.
    thank you for sharing the "simplistic honesty and a solitude she desperately craves"

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  38. i'd love to live in that house too Shadow..i could almost see pictures forming in my mind as i read your story..thats how powerful your writing is..

    thkx for your comment..i could only pray the words i found are able to get my message across..

    waiting for your next post!..

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  39. only you can bring such poetic beauty to domestic life of solitude. enwraptured in this write, i want to be there too...am i already? ;)

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  40. I want to find that place and stay awhile as her.

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  41. ah, but it lives in her mind and streams gently forth through her pen... love it!

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  42. I'm so in this with you Shadow!!! Your section: "these are wall[s] that protect and that guard the secrets of the whispered words shared in their space. and as you wander through this warm, gentle home, your eyes will catch glints of crystal and silver amongst candles on scattered silk sheets of gold."

    Yep, I'm into this scene. It's so filled with dreamscapes, yet...it's so real!!!

    You, my friend, should be writing, and lecturing on just how to convey emotions and senses!!

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  43. ......and what the heck is it with this "Anonymous"? I think it's jealousy if you want my opinion.

    Or a long lost teacher who has been out of the 'circuit' way too long.


    hehehehehe --just my opinion.

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  44. Oh, Shadow! What a marvelous, marvelous escape. You made me feel as if I had escaped for a moment, too. Thank you.

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  45. I just read the story and didn't even notice the fact there were no capital letters. I love your writings Shadow.Is the story about you?

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  46. Shadow, one of my favorites of yours. How could it not be? I'd go there willingly and never leave. Gorgeous, you.
    xo
    erin

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  47. This is fantastic writing. Not overdone or too flowery as such prose often is, but beautifully put. Very More-ish.

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