The Flood

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Death In Vegas – Dirge

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First Day

The rain is pouring on my windows causing me to shudder rapidly in the cool crisp air of my home. The smell of outdoors fills the air, like a deep wooded forest lit on fire by the rain. There are birds fluttering about my windowsill, I can understand them completely. Even with what appears true freedom, comes pain and burden.

Second Day

I awoke to see the sun shining brightly, beckoning me to come outside. I wanted to so badly but the water had somehow creeped into my home and was laid to rest in my skin, in my pores. I could feel it. Creeping, crawling, saturating, decaying. I felt like a sponge left in a damp corner.

Third Day

Again. Sun. This time I throw my hands up in praise. I race to my dresser and pull out a nice sun dress. Today the sun will be my friend. He will soak up every ounce of water that found its way into my skin. I’m at the edge of the screen door now, ready to pounce. The grass is green, lucious, inviting. I’m forgiving, forgetting and wanting.

Fourth Day

My legs are picking up speed. Fast and fast as I tumble down my stairs, slide across the kitchen floor and out the screen door. I allow myself to fall into a barrel role into the grass letting out playful laughter-who cares no one can hear. Thats when I heard it. The lapping of water at the edge of my eardrum. I take my face slowly out of the grass and follow a trail of it to the edge of my house. The water had risen. The lake was now 5 times the normal size and was slowly creeping towards my house.

Fifth Day

I tried everything. I went down the water with a peace offering and asked it to move the other way, its trickle replied indeed but it has not moved. I began to dig a trench but the water would not swerve in line no matter how much I stomped my feet and yelled in the air. I threw rocks and twigs but still its attention was not had. I’m done with the water now. It had its chance.

Sixth Day

I sat solemnly on a pile of sandbags waiting for the sun to rise. I would need his help today, and days to come. They felt heavy and hard in my hands as I began to create a barrier around my home. The rough pastice concealing the sand moved like thin thread in my hands but cut whenever it had the chance. It was payment I was sure of that. Each bag was a load off my mind, each foot I got higher the weight lifted off my shoulders. Higher and higher, lighter and lighter.

Today I say goodbye to the water, I ask it to find a new path. It can stay in front of my home, and visit me anytime, but it can’t creep into my territory. The line was created for a reason.

Now I sit and wait for the next move.