Wednesday, December 9, 2009

The Ill Wind

 
 
The Ill Wind
(by R.P.Edwards)

There’s an ill wind blowing
Hard…and bitter cold
Sweeping cross the nation
An evil…ages old
Seeking out the souls of men
To crush…and kill…the will
Forgetful we…we bid it come
And now…we’ll have our fill

Uncle Larry was a character.  A little older than my dad, he was--what was the word mom used?--Eccentric! That’s it!  Anyway, me and sis thought his ways were funny.  When he came to visit (every Arbor Day, believe it or not) he’d fill our young minds with wonderful stories of the our “Great Mother” (his words) the earth.  He’d lead us through the woods and whenever we’d come upon a bug or slug he’d (no kidding!) say, “Say hello to your distant cousin.”  The funniest thing was when we stood at the end of the driveway and every time a SUV drove by he’d utter some sort of curse (Mayan, he said).  Yeah, uncle Harry was a character, and he was fun to have around.  But…when mom and dad suddenly died in a car crash…and he became our legal guardian; well, then our lives became a living hell.

It’s early morning, and I begin my dayshift run this cold--and getting colder--December day.  In my neck of the woods (mid-America) there’s a cold front a-comin.’ I can hear the wind howling outside, and the weather folk predict single digits when the new day begins. 

The little charade above (I have no uncle Larry) is a type of “us” and “they.”  For some reason we have killed our “parents” along with their values and “truths,” and substituted them with the eccentric leanings of academia and the airy nothingness of Hollywood. Yes, these relatives were fun to listen to, and entertaining at the family gatherings, but now they’re in charge.  It’s an ill wind…and we invited it.  Better batten down the hatches…this storm…has teeth.

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