tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54860192011-10-06T11:04:10.866-07:00the giant tortoiseThis is the blog of Charisa, Pianist, Poet, Actress. Herein my poetry, tempests, exultations, tears and laughter are recorded upon glorious inspiration. <p><p> talk to me at dreambig16@hotmail.comA Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1611100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-11512337218774122062008-07-11T19:29:00.000-07:002008-07-11T19:31:10.118-07:00I'm alive! I've begun writing again, but felt the need for a fresh start. Check out my new site atwww.avibrantpetal.blogspot.comHope to see you there!A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1129659438610581082005-10-18T10:59:00.000-07:002005-10-18T11:17:18.640-07:00It's no use. I simply can't be philosophical, ethereal and vague. I've tried; little tiny, private and hidden attempts... halting, hesitant, half ashamed - which clued me in immediately that I was trying to be everything I was not made to be. Why is it we desire to embrace and possess what we are not? It's a big question with an even bigger answer, and I've thought about it; briefly, slightly, A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1125167630340966752005-08-27T11:21:00.000-07:002005-08-27T11:33:50.346-07:00Here's a rather strange poem I found buried in one of my numerous notebooks yesterday:We were rushing along in our own happy worldAlone, undisturbed, refinedThe sky shone blue against the sunThe ocean blue against the skyWe didn't stop to wonder why, we only knew that we must driveDrive, driveWe must drive and leave behindThe silent questions undefinedof Who and When? Where and Why?Stop to take aA Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1124936946156676072005-08-24T19:06:00.000-07:002005-08-24T19:29:06.160-07:00I bought a yellow dress today. It's a sweet yellow dress, reminiscent of the Pride & Prejudice era; the high waist, delicate pattern, so exquisitely feminine. I felt like a fairy, a princess, a beautiful girl when I slipped it over my head and gazed critically in the mirror. I was transported into another era; I was a different girl with a different life and set of joys and worries. "Yes, I will A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1124127928782480332005-08-15T10:42:00.000-07:002005-08-15T10:45:28.790-07:00BubblesTwo bubbles found they had rainbows on their curves.They flickered out saying:"It was worth being a bubble just to have held thatrainbow thirty seconds."~ Carl SandburgA Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1123780961650225372005-08-11T10:22:00.000-07:002005-08-11T10:22:41.656-07:00I close my eyes so you wont read the secrets written there.A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1123554578348394402005-08-08T19:22:00.000-07:002005-08-08T19:29:38.353-07:00I bought a new car! Yessiree, as of Saturday I am now the proud new owner of a '96 Ford Contour GL. It's beautiful, my baby is, pure white - you know how some white vehicles look like there was hardly enough paint to cover it? well she's got a generous coating of thick, smooth, white paint on her. Really, for a '96 this car is in very nice condition. No cd player, unfortunately, but I'm getting A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1123180530508388332005-08-04T11:25:00.000-07:002005-08-04T11:35:30.516-07:00It's dark at 10 o'clock at night. I'm driving thru town with my windows up. The vents are off and the only sound is the engine and my breathing. I reach down to the radio, and by some fluke hit the wrong button and an unfamiliar French station comes on. It begins to play a folk song, sweet and a little melancholy, making me think of wine and beautiful people, white linen and wilted flowers in theA Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1122921920867504952005-08-01T11:41:00.000-07:002005-08-01T11:45:20.870-07:00My dad set up a volleyball net in our back yard, and we've been having volleyball parties on Sundays. I like playing volleyball, but heavens I am so bad at it, it's more funny than humiliating. Though it is a little of that too. Last night we just practiced setting and spiking and serving the ball. I do believe I actually improved a little! Instead of completely misjudging where the ball is goingA Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1122921643126013542005-08-01T11:40:00.000-07:002005-08-01T11:40:43.133-07:00Being with my sister is like reading my own mind all the time, only in a different body.A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1122614607504754822005-07-28T22:08:00.000-07:002005-07-28T22:23:27.513-07:00How is it possible for me to be so happy, and so unbelievably confused at the same time? Just when I think life is going in a good direction, I realize that it really isn't going in any particular direction at all, and the dissatisfaction of doing nothing at all even though I'm having fun doing it, overwhelms me. I suddenly feel immense pressure to hurry up and decide what to do with my life. A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1122613391064850612005-07-28T21:41:00.000-07:002005-07-28T22:03:11.073-07:00We have to drive fast. We must find a spot fast. The sun is quickly sliding down the sky and will soon be out of sight. We're losing the precious, beautiful golden light too fast. Ah, here we are. We sit on an old picnic table, and joke about it breaking under us. We laugh, and feel cold and cozy at the same time. It's not adreneline, but akin to that."Smile" he instructs, but we haven't any needA Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1121829461336480102005-07-19T20:16:00.000-07:002005-07-19T20:17:41.343-07:00'Jude Law is so lacking in vanity that you almost forget he's shockingly handsome - until he smiles, and then it's Game Over.' ~ Vanity FairA Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1121228555939031032005-07-12T20:56:00.000-07:002005-07-12T21:22:35.946-07:00I work in a shop in the center of town. The sidewalk in front of the store kisses the mainstreet and on sunny days our emerald green crosswalks wink flagrantly at the tourists coming and going and oohing and aahing over every little mundane, adorable detail of the street front. They didn't grow up here. For them the town is all welcoming sweetness, here for their express pleasure to fulfill everyA Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1121226807430496682005-07-12T20:52:00.000-07:002005-07-12T20:53:27.436-07:00Women often marry men they laugh at.A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1121128888598535322005-07-11T17:27:00.000-07:002005-07-11T17:41:28.606-07:00I'm stripping down.Finding myself among the shambles of broken eloquence.Realizing that what they want to hear isn't always what I want to say.Discovering my convictions amidst the wreck of assumed beliefs.Declaring originality and praying fervently I'll find it.Stripping down to meand Godand peopleand lifeand learning that a good day, and a hard day,is when I decide to love what is right and A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1120971756817773922005-07-09T21:59:00.000-07:002005-07-09T22:02:36.823-07:00KreislerSell me a violin, mister, of old mysterious wood.Sell me a fiddle that has kissed dark nights on the forehead where menKiss sisters they loveSell me dried wood that has ached with passion clutching the knees andArms of a storm.Sell me horsehair and rosin that has sucked at the breasts of the morningSun for milkSell me something crushed in the heartsblood of pain readier than everFor one A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1119900647079676482005-06-27T12:19:00.000-07:002005-06-27T12:30:47.086-07:00Well here we are again. The Nelson Sisters are returning yet again in concert! It's really becoming an annual event. This is our third year, and we're expecting rather a crowd. On top of the two formal concert nights, we're also adding a night of music at our favorite coffee shop, which has a sweet piano in their adjoining room. People have been asking all winter and fall if we were planning a A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1119824101126553552005-06-26T14:58:00.000-07:002005-06-26T15:15:01.160-07:00My sister and I were talking today about running, and were laughing about how our differant styles come out even in the world of exercise. She is a distance, endurance, set-a-longterm-goal-and-get-there kind of person. She will take on a mountain, no sweat. Somehow she is able to pace herself just right, so she can last for way longer than you think she will. There is some secret reserve of A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1118854626784737862005-06-15T09:43:00.000-07:002005-06-15T09:57:06.800-07:00It was a lovely afternoon, so my younger sister and I went on a long walk. The street was lined in perfect little houses with perfect lawns, and flower beds full of purple daisies and red poppies. The road ended in a dirt path leisurely winding it's way through the woods of evergreen trees. My sister and I don't get much of a chance to really talk beyond me telling her to pick up her things, andA Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1118601373036804462005-06-12T11:20:00.000-07:002005-06-12T11:36:13.043-07:00Forgive the silence of the last week, but I am presently afflicted by a malady for which there is no cure but time. Yes I must say, I am struggling with writers block. But it's not the sort that prevents me from writing altogether, but everything I write sounds the same. It all deals with basically the same subject, but from differant angles, and for the life of me I can't get away from it. All A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1118116736529881582005-06-06T20:49:00.000-07:002005-06-06T20:58:56.536-07:00"Tomorrow," he said. "TomorrowI will love her.Tomorrow I will leave my workMy petty likesMy false delights.But today I need themJust for now I'll keep themUntil I turn into a manWorthy of her love.""Tomorrow," she sighed. "TomorrowHe will love me.Tomorrow he will hold my heartMy petty heartIn manly hands.But today he shuns me.The pain of it undoes me.For now I'll think of yesterdayAnd try to A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1117328289119056772005-05-28T17:56:00.000-07:002005-05-28T17:58:09.126-07:00And the Sun shoneAnd they were happyAnd the Clouds were whiteAnd the sky a scruptious blueAnd the Street was busyAnd the Shoppers manyAnd the Sun shoneAnd they were happyA Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1117075235334146532005-05-25T19:33:00.000-07:002005-05-25T19:40:35.340-07:00I went to visit my sister today at the cafe where she works and I do no longer. I stayed to help her close the place and found, to my amusement, that I could no longer perform the menial tasks with the same efficiency and speed which I had formerly possessed. I was clumsy when filling the pop machine with ice. I'd forgotten where to store ice tea. Even in sweeping the floor I no longer rememberedA Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1116897176256116192005-05-23T17:31:00.000-07:002005-05-23T18:12:56.310-07:00Half an hour till show time. I am in the womens dressing room, checking my make-up. I have just been on my stage, making sure all the props are in their correct places. Yes, my stage. That's how I know I'm ready for this, is when I walk on and feel like I own the stage. I re-apply lip color, and practice my friendly smile, making sure to throw in a little wide-eyed innocence.Fifteen minutes till A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1116352478761193782005-05-17T10:33:00.000-07:002005-05-17T10:54:38.766-07:00Tomorrow night is the dress rehersal. It has come up so fast, that I can't actually believe we've had five weeks of rehersals. Last night was the best we've done it yet. Everyone was on and hot, the lines were delivered with perfect timing, the villain was hysterically villainous, and oh dear! it was a smashing success. The only flaw in this whole entire thing, is that a week ago I was suddenly A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1115255844670516892005-05-04T18:12:00.000-07:002005-05-04T18:17:24.763-07:00I sat in an aqua-green booth, eating a hamburger, fries and milkshake, when a tiny little old lady walked in and sat at the counter. She was obviously a regular, as every waitress knew her name and what she liked."So what's new in your life, Alice?" asked the waitress as she poured a cup of coffee."Well, dear, I got a new pair of glasses, and I'm hearing so much better now!" exclaimed the lady. A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1114039448206600642005-04-20T16:10:00.000-07:002005-04-20T16:24:08.206-07:00Last night was the third rehersal of my play. Well, it's really not my play, but I feel as if it is. Everything is so marvelous. At times it's very awkward when we're figuring out the precise blocking of the thing, and especially when I'm supposed to get a bit carried away with my theatrical love interest to whom I was introduced only last night in reality. But when it's over, and even while A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1113452996958573792005-04-13T21:26:00.000-07:002005-04-13T21:29:56.960-07:00Okay, this is the very weird, honest-to-God truth. Friday night I had a dream in which a girl whom I haven't seen for months, cut her long curly hair. Today I saw her, and her hair, which has been long and curly for the entirety of our acquaintance, had been cut in nearly exactly the style as in my dream. And when I asked her, she said she'd had it done on Friday.A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1113436905483704132005-04-13T16:39:00.000-07:002005-04-13T17:01:45.486-07:00I overheard a conversation. But you must not think ill of me, for it took place not five feet from where I was sitting in a coffee house. The fellow behind the counter was being most amiable to a woman for whom he was making a drink, and saying "And everything I write I don't necessarily like." Being a writer myself, I quite agreed."Sometimes I just have to get something out and off my back. SomeA Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1112980406090702842005-04-08T09:57:00.000-07:002005-04-08T10:13:26.096-07:00The Night has fallen Gracefully Silently Ushered by a Sunset in mad array of color. But not the Night; no She tiptoes softly now waiting now listening now gliding across the window pane. Nodding to her daughter the Moon She darkens. A gown of deepest black she dons A circlet of stars about her throat and Glistening in her hair. She gathers to her inky skirts the World in all it's slumber. A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1112647062985581882005-04-04T13:24:00.000-07:002005-04-04T13:40:38.510-07:00If I walk along a library shelf, I can point out every single book I've ever read there. I remember them all, and little incidences from the stories or places I read them bobble around like bright marbles in my memory bag. The emotions connected with each book return, and I alternately remember a little fear, laughter, the beginnings of philosophical thought, frustration, delight. These are a A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1112328449494741902005-03-31T19:45:00.000-08:002005-03-31T20:25:04.860-08:00"You don't write, I presume?" She suddenly demanded. To say 'yes' would have meant falling instantly into her disfavor. 'No' wasn't exactly a lie. "Only when inspiration strikes" was the reply."Strikes? Hmph. Well well, I hope it doesn't attack you very often. It's a terrible thing to be black and blue. I had a Cousin who was black and blue all the time - it was very unbecoming. Well well. Being A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1112210682254322662005-03-30T11:23:00.000-08:002005-03-30T11:24:42.256-08:00HAPPY 22nd BIRTHDAY ODESSA!!!!!!A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1112146001345033542005-03-29T17:22:00.000-08:002005-03-29T17:26:41.346-08:00Is there anything so beautiful as anticipation of new life? Nay, for in that hour and that alone All is pure perfection All is perfect bliss And thrills of sweet delight are felt by all. Congragulations Wilson family! Can't wait for the new arrival. A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1112124146279502632005-03-29T11:19:00.000-08:002005-03-29T11:22:26.280-08:00Friday I auditioned for a play, and last night found out that I got the leading role I was hoping for. WHAT HAPPINESS! What bliss. It is absolutely thrilling. I've never been in a real, professional play before, and the thought that I will be starring in one is simply delicious. It is very difficult to contain my excitement and act in a dignified manner.A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1111802051372640762005-03-25T17:25:00.000-08:002005-03-25T17:54:11.376-08:00I am going to be 19 in four days. I never thought I could be nineteen. All through my vivid childhood, filled with delicious fantasies and adventures, the oldest I could imagine myself was 18. But never nineteen, and never, ever 21. I remember thinking that I should love to stay seventeen for at least five years.How I loved the number 17! I loved the way it rolled off my tongue. I loved how A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1111633383965164112005-03-23T18:56:00.000-08:002005-03-23T19:03:03.966-08:00"This will be your room," Miss Dollom said, gracefully throwing open the enormous door. "It belonged to my Uncle Edward, before the incident."Something in the way she said 'used to be' and 'the incident' compelled Helena to say"What happened to him?""He left this earth, poor darling. But he always had it coming. Such a man for the drink! We all agreed afterwards that it was indeed a most fitting A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1110246861146166812005-03-07T17:48:00.000-08:002005-03-07T17:54:21.146-08:00The new sprung Daffodilslift their yellow faces and beg the Sunto reflect their simple glory."Come dance with us," they ask the Wind"And whisper little secrets to our eager, silent hearts."But scornfully the Sun remainsbehind his cloudy screen,And bids the Wind ignoretheir dearest, sweetest pleas.They droop. Their yellow dresses fade."We don't have long to live!" they say."We'll play with you A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1109292716227101662005-02-24T16:47:00.000-08:002005-02-24T16:51:56.230-08:00Today I ate a blackberry with cream. It was a dream in purple and white, staining my lips with every delicate bite. It was heavenly Ice cream.A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1108960684146466702005-02-20T20:37:00.000-08:002005-02-20T20:38:04.146-08:00Remember; Whales eat Krill.A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1108875876889808892005-02-19T20:43:00.000-08:002005-02-19T21:04:36.890-08:00I bought a little painting this week. It's actually a Coke advertisement from 1936. It shows an old fisherman sitting on a red dory, holding a green glass bottle of Coke. His beard is thick and white against his lined, tanned face. He wears a white shirt, the cuffs rolled up past his wrists, worn leather boots, and a twinkling smile, for he has had a good catch this morning. Standing in front of A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1108609222410906972005-02-16T18:50:00.000-08:002005-02-16T19:00:22.413-08:00I stood in the deoderant aisle, sniffing all the differant scents, trying to decide between Secret Platinums Ambition, the Teen Spirit Berry Breeze, or the Lady's Choice Coconut Lime, when I was struck by the silliness of the situation, and cracked up in hysterical laughter. People passing by gave me weird looks, that said "Oh gosh, now teenagers are getting high on deoderant fumes.":A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1108519063397228942005-02-15T17:21:00.000-08:002005-02-15T17:57:43.403-08:00I have always been fascinated with my piano teachers house. Since I was a little girl of eight, I have come nearly every week in the fall, winter, and spring, sat on her oversized, abstract couches and stared at her shelves, longing to touch and handle everything. She and her husband travel often to Europe, and have a whole collection of various figurines, dishes, and art. Next to the window A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1108361245571241212005-02-13T22:01:00.000-08:002005-02-13T22:07:25.573-08:00'"My dear fellow," said Sherlock Holmes as we sat on either side of the fire in his lodgings at Baker Street, "life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent. We would not dare to conceive the things which are really mere commonplaces of existence. If we could fly out of that window hand in hand, hover over this great city, gently remove the roofs and peep in at the A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1108173220146759122005-02-11T17:40:00.000-08:002005-02-11T17:53:40.146-08:00Despite the fact that we just got a Home Depot and a Super WalMart in our town, and despite the fact that the locals are feeling pretty darn proud of the fact that we're really a city now, it's an undeniable fact that our 'city' is full of small town folks. After a long hard day of waitressing, I went out to lunch by myself and reveled in the quietness and warmth of my little corner table. The A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1108007406967946592005-02-09T19:37:00.000-08:002005-02-09T19:50:06.966-08:00I walk alone.
Through masses of people
By the rows and rows of shops
In the second floor of the mall.
Sliding my eyes across
Cheap merchandise, all the same
All demanding my attention.
Sick of the human race
The lack of class we've achieved
The disregard for finer things.
But wait, a striking scent
Of mens cologne awakes me
And brings the smile to my lips.
A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1106970935562566072005-01-28T19:51:00.000-08:002005-01-28T19:55:35.563-08:00A 'C' like my grandmother
used to make.
Elegant, old fashioned, refined.
In spidery script all her letters were writ,
Pages and pages of everyday news
of a land far away,
Yet somehow I loved
Even before making a memory of it.
Always signed 'Papa', though written by her,
Suddenly changing the voice in my head
To a jolly and round one,
Instead of her spritely, mischevious tone.
And now A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1106358546949913272005-01-21T17:41:00.000-08:002005-01-21T17:49:21.206-08:00Hate
a force from Hell or Heaven
warring continually against its enemy
Love;
a power of good or evil
unmatched, unequalled by human invention.
'I despise'
'I adore'
can both lie.
Perhaps the greatest glory lies with
Truth.
Hate
a force from Hell or Heaven
warring eternally with its enemy
Love;
unequalled by human invention,
a weapon of evil
or power of good.
'I adore'
'I abhor'
'I despise'
canA Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1103238071045520132004-12-16T15:00:00.000-08:002004-12-16T15:01:11.046-08:00Happy Christmas all, and a Merry New Year!
God bless us, every one.
A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1102638935778387382004-12-09T16:28:00.000-08:002004-12-09T16:35:35.776-08:00When I walked in the door to work this morning, having been on a splendid two week vacation, I was met with a huge hug from a friend.
"Welcome back!" he said, then whispered "I quit smoking!"
I was suddenly happier than I'd been for the past month. Geoffrey, I'm so awfully proud.
A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1102444315847233512004-12-07T10:11:00.000-08:002004-12-07T10:31:55.846-08:00And so it begins.
I withdrew a piece of blindingly white paper from the notebook, and wrote the names of my family in precise rows, next to which I put the letters S - stocking, and P - present. I stare thoughtfully at the corner of the ceiling, and contemplate which whims of my people I can afford. I'm keeping it small this year. Well, actually, I've always kept it small, formerly because I A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1102367893400702822004-12-06T13:53:00.000-08:002004-12-06T13:18:13.400-08:00I went to a Community Christmas Concert last afternoon. At one point, all sixty voices swelled and dropped, clinging to a minor chord. It was beyond beautiful.
As I listened, I felt the pulse of a poets blood
beating in my wrists. I was filled with a vast
sense - the wild sense that I was about to create;
something, I thought, beautiful, and dark, and
holy at once. The sense that the most sacredA Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1102300345443641522004-12-05T18:31:00.000-08:002004-12-05T18:32:25.443-08:00I drank in her words, anxiously hoping for just one mention of him. And then I remembered I'd already let him go.
A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1102192809382023812004-12-04T11:59:00.000-08:002004-12-04T12:40:09.383-08:00 It is a bookstore.
I am in my element. This is my world, the book world. I walk in the door, and exhileration overtakes me. The long tall shelves, full of personalities in hard or soft covers, elaborate or simple covers, greet me with dignified, yet inviting, silence. I tend to think of books as creatures in themselves, that humans have no part in creating, though we like to think so. Every A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1099097210616280272004-10-29T17:45:00.000-07:002004-10-29T17:46:50.616-07:00And I was beautiful until...
A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1098669742018291722004-10-24T18:50:00.000-07:002004-10-24T19:02:22.016-07:00I've noticed that a common malady among people is the Hereitsyourbaby syndrom. You know how someone will ask to hold somebody's baby, and will adore it and be proud of it, and boast about how good they are with babies - until the little darling begins to scream. Then they promptly hand it back to the mommy with the mumbled comment "Hereitsyourbaby."
Well, so it works when someone has an idea A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1097770188930217832004-10-14T09:08:00.000-07:002004-10-14T09:09:48.930-07:00I think they should make calculators that text message.
A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1097769404849876522004-10-14T08:49:00.000-07:002004-10-14T08:56:44.850-07:00'Chums' is a word that has become nearly extinct in our vocabulary. And it's such a nice little word. A good, jolly feeling comes into your head when you say it. "We're great chums, Sylvie and I" one says, and instantly you know they do ever so many sweet things together, and that they will be chums for years and years. Or if someone told you "You're a chum", wouldn't you feel on top of the A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1097596071358690872004-10-12T08:47:00.000-07:002004-10-12T08:47:51.356-07:00I hate it when people make assumptions about me.
A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1097337021305832102004-10-09T08:43:00.000-07:002004-10-09T08:50:21.306-07:00"Hi!" He exclaimed.
"Hey!" I responded.
"How are you?" we asked in unison, without meaning to. There was suddenly an odd, nearly awkward silence, as we both tried to figure out which one of us should respond first. Or should we ignore the over-used greeting altogether? We neither of us could merely say 'fine', because it would only serve to finalize the gap that just opened between us. One of us A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1097194257892153352004-10-07T17:10:00.000-07:002004-10-07T17:10:57.893-07:00I want to grow up to be an old man.
It would be so much more interesting.
A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1097115769364775382004-10-06T18:29:00.000-07:002004-10-06T19:22:49.366-07:00The music of Brahms and Chopin.
No other composers have the power they posses - the ability to with seductive hand reach inside my being, take the tempests of my soul and softly divide and encourage them, until I feel every emotion possible for an aching or elated heart. A whimsical Whaltz, a passionate Rhaposodie, a moody Etude or frantically cheery Intermezzo; no composers match their ability A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1095912692809839812004-09-22T21:09:00.000-07:002004-09-22T21:11:32.810-07:00Someday I'll write a story that will have a person in there who is a control freak, and is slowly going crazy because they can't control the weather. Or maybe they should just have a strange form of claustrophobia, and can't stand the clouds.A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1095912465838124332004-09-22T21:05:00.000-07:002004-09-22T21:07:45.840-07:00Okay. I just got a Sitemeter report in my inbox, and it said that for the past two weeks a grand total of zero (0) people have visited my blog. I know I'm awfully inconsistant, and never write regularly, and I'm random and weird about what I write. But if it's really that bad, or if it's half way decent, or even 2% worth saving, tell me so in brilliant wording by clicking on the comments option A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1095912011199706192004-09-22T20:51:00.000-07:002004-09-22T21:00:11.200-07:00I was just turning out the light when the thought struck me - of trying to sleep without the belief that there is a God.How dark the night would be, and how barren. How empty would the life of thought be without the security of the knowledge of a supreme Presence. Letting yourself drift to sleep, to unknown, unconscious darkness, and not having the assurance that your soul is being held safe in A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1095302163105521532004-09-15T19:32:00.000-07:002004-09-15T19:36:03.106-07:00 "I love how coffee has such an aura here. Here you don't just drink a latte, you experience your espresso. It's become an art. But really, people all over the world love coffee, drink coffee, grow coffee."She laughed. "Yeah, but I think some day God's going to look down and say 'What are you people doing? That was supposed to be a wood stain!'"
A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1094771331320297432004-09-09T16:07:00.000-07:002004-09-09T16:08:51.320-07:00Do you ever suddenly get the impression that you've just said something very witty and clever, but can't quite think of what it was?
A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1094688508927918382004-09-08T17:07:00.000-07:002004-09-08T17:08:28.926-07:00I think the phrase "Don't cut yourself" should be banned. Whenever someone says it to me, sure as anything, I nearly amputate a finger.
A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1094688349018692952004-09-08T17:01:00.000-07:002004-09-08T17:05:49.016-07:00"Do you think I could get a hot chocolate?" he asked, his eyes bright with a childhood memory."Of course you can. Want it made with milk or water?""Milk, definately."I mixed it up, and topped it with an impressive swoop of whipped cream. He gaped. "That's it? That's my hot chocolate?" He took a gulp, and sighed as if he'd just tasted a fifty dollar, gourmet dessert. "Boy, Charisa, you're sure A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1093298410110325002004-08-23T14:52:00.000-07:002004-08-23T15:00:10.110-07:00Mrs. TowerJane prophesies that you and I will remarry. Tower(Interested)Does she? Mrs. Tower(Tantalizing)Yes. Do you believe in prophecy?
Tower(Laconic)I believe in free will. Mrs. TowerIn your stories people are always swallowed up by a destiny they can't escape. TowerI never read my stories.A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1092623558247201362004-08-15T19:28:00.000-07:002004-08-15T19:32:38.246-07:00"How are you?"
"Struggling to keep myself from falling into the endless abyss of despondency." I answer. "Willing my mind to stay in the present, and not dwell on the absence of a beautiful presence."
I see my soul reflected in the eyes of another, but cannot reach out to console it. Words are unnecessary, and all I can do is gaze.
A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1091813170538123062004-08-06T10:15:00.000-07:002004-08-06T10:26:10.540-07:00My brother is getting married tomorrow. In a matter of minutes, he will go from being my brother, to being Kate's husband.
I don't know anything about being in love. Sometimes I wish I did. When I watch my brother and his fiancee have so much fun just being next to each other, I wish I knew what that was like. I wish I knew how deeply one would have to feel for one person, to be content and A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1091390264007304192004-08-01T12:56:00.000-07:002004-08-02T18:05:51.536-07:00An irritation noticed
goes not unforgotten, like
A drop of blood that stains
and will not fade.
A wound that pierces to the soul
Within the soul does stay 'till death
a shaft of pain
a trace of night
That bars the soul from finding light.
A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1090643532764179352004-07-23T20:58:00.000-07:002004-07-23T21:44:28.413-07:00Today I saw a guy who was attacked and nearly killed last night. I saw the ugly marks across his back where he was beaten, and around his throat where someone tried to smother out his life. I saw the pain in his face while he tried to brush it off and convince himself he'd be okay. I hardly know him, but his brush with death impacted me so much.
I wonder how many people would think of me more A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1090111709838394022004-07-17T17:41:00.000-07:002004-07-17T17:48:29.840-07:00Has anyone read this poem before?
A piece of midnight
falls
Shatters;
dashing hopes of hidden,
darkness covered
Sins.
Revealed, disclosed,
a bleeding heart lies bare,
Exposed.
Deaf to cries for Shame,
to change one life it
fights to live again.
All this to breathe in peace
One Time.
The reason I ask is because I had a dream. I don't remember what the dream was about, but when I woke up, I A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1089084967724070802004-07-05T20:22:00.000-07:002004-07-07T17:48:27.763-07:00Every time I meet a new person, I wonder what I will remember about them in ten years. His hair, that on anyone else would look just bad, but for some reason works on him; her inquisitive smile and sparkling eyes; their laugh; the necklace they always wear; the sunglasses that were supposed to make them look cool; What will I think of when that person enters my head? So many pieces of today A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1088825646864153082004-07-02T20:14:00.000-07:002004-07-02T20:36:54.050-07:00"We'd like more coffee over here."
"The sandwich is good, but I don't like the lettuce."
"Can we get some more water?"
"Bless you heart, we'd like our check."
"Do you have high chairs?"
"I'd like this wrapped."
"Separate checks, please."
"There will be ten of us."
And I smile. When with every moment my mental energy is being slowly and steadily drained by the iron hand of responsibility; When I A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1088555169814234722004-06-29T16:58:00.000-07:002004-06-29T17:26:09.813-07:00"You write poetry too?"
I do write poetry. I do not tell him that it's very bad poetry. That what I write would never be published in my biography. That so much of it is birthed in the deepest part of my being, yet the words I have are cheap, common cliches. It is enough that I write poetry. It is enough that there are two of us in the room, who moments before didn't notice the other, but now A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1087945565453767902004-06-22T15:58:00.000-07:002004-06-22T16:06:05.453-07:00Orange juice.
Umbrellas.
Pink scarves.
Hats.
Pistachios.
Things that make me smile.A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1087851353392238252004-06-21T13:52:00.000-07:002004-06-21T13:55:53.393-07:00It is a perfect rose. A slender, long bud tainted a delicate pink, oh so softly whispering of darker colors in it's heart. Each petal perfectly intact, perfectly shaped, perfectly formed by an invisible hand. I almost thought it wasn't real. I was in the mood to buy a rose, but couldn't think who to get one for. So I got it for myself. Selfish, perhaps, but so rewarding. It is a perfect rose.A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1087708674512797792004-06-19T22:17:00.000-07:002004-06-19T22:17:54.513-07:00Try to match up a pile of black socks in the dark. It's very entertaining.A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1087518332431737142004-06-17T17:12:00.000-07:002004-06-17T17:25:32.430-07:00"Hidden in a deep foist, there lived a beutiful lady and a very hansom prince. But the beutiful lady lived far, far away..."
Thus begins the first of my writing experiments. I ran across it in an ancient notebook of mine. I could not have been more than six years old, but even then, the idea of a 'hansom prince' and a 'beutiful lady' was appealing to my little mind. Isn't it funny how every A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1085887093244532042004-05-29T20:12:00.001-07:002004-05-29T20:18:58.026-07:00"How's it goin'?" he asked, after staring at me, and folding his arms to exactly imitate me.
"Goin' great." I answered evenly, finding the opposite wall quite interesting.
"What's up?" he persisted, as if my doings in the fish market were the most interesting thing he could hear about.
"Not much. Just looking around. That's my dad back there." I said, smiling slightly.
"Oh, how's it going." he A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1085886742704804262004-05-29T20:12:00.000-07:002004-05-29T20:12:22.703-07:00A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1085086174023916382004-05-20T13:22:00.000-07:002004-05-20T13:49:34.023-07:00Sadness.
A drifting, clinging thing.
Born
to take your
Heart
and hold it,
to take your
Heart
and break it,
to softly stroke then
Crush it,
And leave you without
Breath...
A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1084911884680143012004-05-18T13:22:00.000-07:002004-05-18T13:24:44.680-07:00Hey world! I've been gone a long time, and when I came back, I decided that I absolutely despised that old look. So, here's the new blog of Charisa! Tell me what you think. I'm not sure everything's working correctly, like the comments (which I guess could be a problem if you want to say something). the giant tortoise has no special application or signifigance to my life. I just thought it would A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1083282023860220012004-04-29T16:40:00.000-07:002004-04-29T16:43:30.013-07:00Summer. What a beautiful thing. Have you noticed the lilacs this year? I swear they've never been so beautiful. The owner of the cafe where I work brought in a huge armful of lilac branches, and put a vase of them at every table. The exquisite perfume hangs delicately in the air, serenading you as you do normally mundane things like filling salt shakers. But now you can't help but be happy, A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1082586595977332282004-04-21T15:29:00.000-07:002004-04-21T15:32:54.186-07:00"Guys, a womans purse, alright. It's her secret source of power. There are many dark and dangerous things in there that we the male species should know nothing about."
~How to Lose a Guy in 10 DaysA Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1082418165353417182004-04-19T16:42:00.000-07:002004-04-19T16:45:41.590-07:00 "So how old are you anyway? Fifteen? Sixteen?" He said, playfully grasping my wrist. I tossed him a smile, and said "Eighteen", very precisely. He pretended great shock.
"NO! You look too young to be eighteen. You look too young to be working, you should be in school!"
"Well, as a matter of fact" I said, leaning in confidentially, "I'm graduating in a couple of months."
"Oh, and what are A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1077576866404210162004-02-23T14:54:00.000-08:002004-02-23T14:56:26.233-08:00 "Could you not love me, even a little?"
"Sir, I believe in doing things with all, or none of my heart. If indeed I ever love you, it will be either a great deal, or not at all; but never a little."A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1075849372207407942004-02-03T15:02:00.000-08:002004-02-03T15:06:37.653-08:00'Above the door, a small sign boldly declared in red lettering, that this was Mansfield's Pawn Shop. Hesitantly, she placed her hand on the door handle, and almost exactly when she touched it, the door flew open, and a young man nearly collided ino her.
"Good God!" He exclaimed, jumping back, then catching hold of her arm. "I'm so sorry, are you alright? How stupid of me!"
... She laughed. "A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1074649534964178492004-01-20T17:45:00.000-08:002004-01-20T17:49:02.140-08:00It's become sort of a cliche to write about reading in coffee shops. But I have to, because I did it for the first time yesterday.
I have a favorite coffee shop. The atmosphere is simply perfect. Dark, soothing colors, not cluttered with trinkets, yet has enough art and 'things' around to make it interesting. Their coffee is more than decent, and they serve my favorite drink. The people are A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1073602316979938292004-01-08T14:51:00.000-08:002004-01-08T14:53:11.716-08:00When I was a little girl, I used to watch my daddy wash his hands when he came home from work. I was always amazed that he had to use soap twice in the same washing. It was fascinating to watch the white bubbles turn a murky brown, slowly disappear, and then be washed down the drain. To me, having to re-soap made you a grown-up, which was a very good thing to be. So I began to run outside before A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1073530582779884262004-01-07T18:56:00.000-08:002004-01-07T18:57:35.810-08:00How many of you think 'the giant tortoise' is a perfect name for a blog?A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1073422624213058752004-01-06T12:57:00.000-08:002004-01-06T12:58:16.013-08:00My sister: "I wish I could wear Elf's clothes."
Me: "I wish I was tall enough to wear Elf's clothes."A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1073422548643402372004-01-06T12:55:00.000-08:002004-01-06T12:57:00.450-08:00Never frown, because you never know
when someone is falling in love
with your smile.A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1073354907860608042004-01-05T18:08:00.000-08:002004-01-05T18:09:39.546-08:00Last night my sister and I saw 'Return of the King'. All I can say is wow. I cried through the last part of the movie, it is so vivid, and you can feel everyone's pain so very acutely. I love the end, how you keep thinking each scene is really going to be the final one, but, oh happiness, there's another one! and another! and another! I almost didn't want to see it, because it means that it's allA Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1073180108011453682004-01-03T17:35:00.000-08:002004-01-03T17:36:17.310-08:00Happy New Year! I'm back, and just bursting with lame excuses! Would you like to hear them all, or should I cut to the chase and say that I just haven't felt like walking all the way out to my freezing garage to get on the internet? I know, that's lame too. Fact: I've thought about it a lot, knowing how much you all must be missing me, what a void there must be in your lives now that I'm not A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5486019.post-1069810241545729892003-11-25T17:30:00.000-08:002003-11-25T17:31:12.373-08:00Do allow me to talk about myself. The concert was a smashing success! My sister and I weren't nervous at all. We walked to the piano wearing sparkling red matching tops and black skirts, and very professionally played through our program (well, okay, almost professionally - I made a couple of faces when I flubbed up, but ignore that), and people loved us! The house fell down! We got a standing A Vibrant Petalnoreply@blogger.com0