The Elements
By Robert J. Ottaviani
The Greyness
And we awoke again under a cold, grey brooding sky that gave no promise of better days. The tree’s remained leafless and colorless with no indication of the possibility of ever bearing fruit again. Birds chose to stay flightless and clung to branches with no motivation to soar free in flight,they’re enthusiasm dampened by the foreboding elements around them. The rains continued for days and pelted the landscape saturating the very grounds we chose to walk on. The chill that was in your bones was the same chill that was there two weeks ago as it was six weeks ago. We looked skyward in anticipation of a promise we were given of his yearly return. And still there was no sign of “The One” that everyone was anxiously anticipating the arrival of.
Ice And Snow
Hope had given way to frustration and helplessness was the coat that covered our once indomitable spirit. For the heavy rains were only the next scourge that followed the impossible amounts of snow that held us captive prisoners in our homes. We watched as the skies opened and blanketed our roads,our walkways,our energies. When the snows lessened the god of elements bestowed upon us another great affliction….The Ice Age. At first it came as a small,inconspicuous visitor just barely tapping on our doors and announcing his presence. Then nigh-time came and the following morning no longer gave us faint glimpse of the glacial prison we were sentenced to. It was everywhere! It crystallized trees,encapsulated telephone lines and held us immobile and isolated. Again, the “Great Hope” was no where to be found and in fact seemed further away than ever.
The Winds
The winds blew into town like an unwelcome guest without a reservation. They heaved and gusted,flexing they’re considerable muscle in an apparent attempt to inflict humility. Spewing cold torrents of air, it stripped us of our comfort levels and exposed us for who we were. We were cold,we were damp,we were barren. It swirled about us,whistling loudly and pushing us around like the playground bully once did. It conjured up one final blast of air stream sending lesser adversaries hurling out of the way and challenging our resolve. In that moment when we could have blinked at the sign of adversity we never faltered. We faced bravado and persevered. We dreamed of that feeling again and stayed patient for his return. We kept ourselves going by remembering how good it was when we last felt “His Presence”.
The Rains
Then slowly after what seemed like we endured the Jurassic Era it happened. The glaciers moved away. The stalactites turned to water. The stalagmites dripped into oblivion. The icicles melted into nothingness. Snowflakes transformed into liquid condensation before touching the ground. The hail which once flocked the house like a newChristmas ornament was reduced to a puddle. The solar ice caps grew weary of they’re location and left for the sea. The skies opened and water poured from the ever generous clouds. Rain was so tired of being water it tried to change occupations but it only knew how to be rain so it continued to descend. Suddenly, everything wanted to be water and so it was. Finally,there came word that we may be close to experiencing “The Feeling”.
El Sol
I rose from my chair because I thought I had heard it. Indeed the first harbinger of spring was flying through the air chirping loudly and spiritedly at anyone who would listen. The once bleak landscape had added color to it’s palette as blue and green met at the horizon under a crimson orange umbrella. He had returned as promised. Many of us gathered outside or wandered aimlessly so we could feel his comfort. “THE SUN” shone down on us stirring our soul and allowing us to put several weeks of darkness immediately behind us. We felt his warm embrace and realized we were moving with a purpose again. We made grandiose plans half of which we knew would never be realized. But,it didn’t matter. Everything felt better under “THE SUN”. Indeed,it had been a long,hard winter!
Robert J. Ottaviani (Bert) is a cusp born Aries the ram who has lived through summer of love in the late sixties and the hippie culture that bled into the seventies. He has a passion for music, gardening and all things nature … and laffy taffy. He is freakishly aware of music trivia to absurd levels. Most days you can find him playing his guitar or jotting down lyrics. He was so impacted from the moment he first heard the Beatles that he has Beatlemanianized his life, been to Liverpool, England and remains convinced he is the fifth Beatle. He is married to a gentle and lovely vibe of a woman with three wonderful children. He currently lives and resides in strawberry fields forever.
