Tuesday 16 September 2008

Rainy Days


No Riding Into the Sunset
these days!

It feels more
like hiding from the elements

and clinking glasses
to the memory of sunny days

Back when
instead of running from the downpour

we were seeking
a shady spot under parasols!

Orange you lucky,
having found a dry spot?
Oh yes, that's the New Deal.
You are turning weatherwise.

You learn to see a bright spot
when it presents itself.
After all, it may be the brightest one

in this Sea of Gray
navigated only
by the occasional defiantly bright umbrella sail,
sunny days are all but memories.

Not unlike Vincent Van Gogh's
"Hospital at Saint-Remy",
whose fading yellows
bear but the faintest glint
of his happy corn stook yellows.

In Praise of Idleness
"Without a considerable amount of leisure
a man is cut off from many of the best things,"
Thus spoke a very wise Bertrand Russel.
I say, justice for all,
and therefore,
more leisure for umbrellas too!

So then,
to everyone's pleasure,
let's put the umbrella to rest
in its stand by the threshold,
and pour some tea from the pot,
all in the name of
the wise use of leisure!


10 comments:

  1. Ah, tea and rainy day go perfectly together. Along with a good book.

    www.thequietone.net

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  2. What a delightful post--great 'brollies in bright sunny colors despite the gray. And these little critters here at the end steal my heart away--I'm game for a nice warm cup of tea. Lovely!

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  3. Wishing you sunny skies again soon. I love the dog figurines in the last photo!!
    ~Allie

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  4. Cathy,
    I agree, absolutely! :-)

    A brush with color,
    this was but a small part of the umbrella stand at the Albertina Museum yesterday morning. Never seen as many umbrellas in one place. ;-)

    The little critters are the work of an artist. I love catching up with the latest creations, when I walk by that store window.

    Allie,
    Your wish has been fulfilled, thank you! :-) The sun's up bright and early this morning.

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  5. You make even a wet day in Vienna look appealing! Intriguing reflections on the wet streets.

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  6. Thank you, Seattle Boy!
    There's always something to savour,
    even on a rainy day, isn't there? ;-)

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  7. Jackets, and long pants, and scarves - HURRAH! Sorry Merisi - I know winter is long for you, but I keep on wishing for some true autumn weather for my time exploring Merano and Innsbruck. It's still 90F plus here :(

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  8. Hexe,
    if I could save time, er, autumn weather in a bottle,
    the first thing that I'd like to do
    is to save every day of foul weather
    till that bottle is full,
    Just to send all that bounty to you!
    (With apologies to Jim Croce *g*)

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  9. Yes, that sounds like the wisest use of leisure to me.
    No rain here yet. We do need some but it usually doesn't come until October but usually November.
    In fact i actually found my umbrella yesterday. It had been missing for quite a while. If I would straighten my closets more often I would have known where it was.!

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  10. Ah, I love those checkered umbrellas in the first photo!

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