A Dark and Stormy Morning

another version of "Pancakes," this time with a slightly creepier flavor

Rain

comes down in roaring sheets.

Overstuffed gray clouds

hide the mountains,

home to overflowing waterfalls.

The ocean, normally calm turquoise,

is foamy and gray,

could break your neck if you try surfing today.

 

Drops plop

against the windows,

as if they are trying

to break the glass,

invade the dryness of inside,

while also drowning

the plants outside.

 

A dark and stormy morning,

Miranda thinks.

Doesn’t have the same ring as

“a dark and stormy night,”

but still, the atmosphere is the same:

the status quo is about to be turned

inside out, upside down, and backwards.

Something has been unleashed

on this island,

and that will change everything.

Whether or not it’ll be for the best

is anyone’s guess,

and besides,

that’s all a matter of perspective anyway.

 

What Miranda wants to do is

sit under a giant warm blanket

with a big bowl of buttery popcorn

and watch a movie with a friend or two.

 

That image makes her

think of Cal.

Cal loves movies,

especially horror movies.

Creature features,

chainsaw-wielding maniacs,

vengeful ghosts,

evil yet sarcastic demons,

it’s all a part of his identity,

his very own culture,

a hybrid from his parents,

the island,

and Miranda and her dad.

It’s chimera culture, Cal culture.

 

She wonders

where he is during this storm.

Hopefully sleeping,

hopefully not attempting to

brave the waves on his homemade surfboard,

devil-may-care grin stuck to his face

like an action hero

as he attempts to hang ten.

 

She remembers

when he tried to take her out,

to give her a lesson.

They had just watched Jaws

the evening before,

which, in hindsight,

may have not been the best call.

 

All Miranda could think about

were the sharks in the ocean

and then some �"

sea monsters, abominations with tentacles,

suckers, fangs inside a gaping maw.

Her imagination was on overdrive,

and Cal knew it.

 

He was gentle with her,

showing her how to balance on dry land first,

then taking her out in the water

only when she said she wanted to,

and kept her calm even when the waves

rocked her around,

reminding her of her insignificance.

 

She didn’t quite get to standing,

but Cal gave her a round of applause

for being able to take a wave on her knees.

Then, of course, she fell off

and got absolutely pummeled,

but Cal was there,

swimming underneath her

like the Creature from the Black Lagoon,

making sure she would be able to

retrieve the board, and more importantly,

stay safe, come back home in one piece,

and not just because her dad

would give Cal s**t if she didn’t.  

 

(He got s**t anyway,

for taking her out without permission.

Still, he had no regrets

because he got to go surfing

with his most favorite person in the world.)

Cal cared �" cares �"

a hell of a lot for her.

If only he had the same dedication

to taking care of himself.

Miranda can visualize him:

brown beanpole body balanced,

picking up speed,

the rush of aggressive ocean all around.

Bam! Wipeout.

Not the worst beating he’s taken.

Easy enough to stroke to the surface

with arms strong from hard work,

pick himself up,

get back on the board,

keep on fighting through the storm.

 

Maybe that’s what it takes to survive here,

on this tiny rock

in the middle of a big ocean

in the middle of a bigger world.

That

and the occasional monster movie.  

Author's Note

So, this is a slightly different version of the earlier "Pancakes" that I put on here. I'm trying to give Miranda and Cal's adventures a bit more of a horror/meta horror feeling. To be fair, this is still part of the status quo, so nothing super terrifying is here yet. I just wanted to establish a slightly creepy/intimidating atmosphere before bringing out the real monsters/social commentary.

Reviews

[barleygirl]

I remember reading & loving pancakes but I don't feel a huge connection or parallel between the two poems. I think maybe you have a definite style of drawing character portraits & that's what makes the two poems seem similar. But you could do this a hundred different ways, I bet. You use a ton of great detail to draw a portrait, relatable & original, conveying an affectionate point of view for the person with a teensy chip of attitude & being realistic about his foibles, too. You feel like this is a real person conveying raw impressions of another real person . . . love the creepy foreshadowing & I could see this developing into something much more complex (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Patricia Wedel]

You are quite a Play Wright at Heart… I will turn out the Light and Dream of Darkness on the other side of the Moon. gently, Pat

[Crowley]

This is a great descriptive piece with the beginnings of some great characterizations. I think its always best to start around the edges and build to the center with characters as you have done here. We learn more about them this way. It should good as you say in your post script, to read what comes next, when the real monsters come out!! Loved this!

[An owl on the moon]

There is something so darkly playful that lives in your words. You awaken this deep connection for us through Miranda's eyes of her and Cal, of their lives, of what they love, of what causes her fear and apprehension just beneath the waves of the ocean and her mind. Everything is woven together so perfectly, and I love the names of the whispered monsters and movies that flow through us all. So well done!

[Hayley]

I'll take 'darkly playful' any day. Thank you for reviewing! :)