The 4th House of Home

Walked down to the river around three a.m,  the quiet roar of the surf breaking on the beach just over the dunes. To the east, i can hear the sea buoy outside the inlet, its foghorn echoing the familiar lonesome moan across the water that i have known since childhood, as regular as the ticking of a clock. The forlorn cry of a whippoorwill reminds me that no one is awake but me and my horse; a dark silhouette that snickers at my approaching footsteps and lowers its head to continue grazing. There is no moon, but the glow of a million stars lights the old worn path that my father and grandfather walked for generations. I imagine them walking beside me now, wishing i could shake hands with their ghosts and talk of the times and tides with them. I can see my greatgrandfather herding a stray hog back into the peanut field, mending the split rail fence behind him as he curses the hour and the obstinate nature of the beast. I can picture in my mind the indians who lived here a hundred years before him, roasting their oysters over a fire just as we still do today, hunting deer with bows and arrows and growing their corn and tobacco in the remote meadows of high ground among the swamps. I long for the days of my youth when no houses were in sight of ours; when we walked a mile through the woods to our nearest neighbor along the two deep sandy ruts that granddad told me was a horse and buggy road when he was a boy.

I call out loud for their spirits to come walk with me, but the hollow sound of the foghorn mocks my voice. I wonder why i am still here, toiling this land as they did, a slave to this little piece of earth bound by fetters and chains i willingly forged with my own hands. I am planning my escape, but just as a prisoner relies on his cunning and the complacence of the guards, i must bide my time until others afford me the opportunity to barter away my heritage, my home, my very soul. Then maybe i can reincarnate in another time, another place, another life.

Kenny Gray 

March 30, 2012

Holden Beach NC

March 2012 Horoscopes

Our Sky Horoscopes are published monthly, (and on time unlike the posts on this blog) in The Triangle with Tragic City Comics by Q Allen

Aries:  Now is time for the line drive.  You are shooting for the outer limits so expect surprises.  There will be extra thrust March 20-22.  By lunchtime the 23^rd romantic mists from late Feb return and you’ll have to feel your way through the explosive weekend.  March 25, 26 the pleasure of enjoying what you have comes over you. 

Taurus:  You rule from March 5-April 3, and by the 10th it will be evident.  If your ship does not come in by the 14^th, something equally uplifting will renew your faith in patience and hard work. 

Gemini:  This month you are like one of those performance chefs at Kanki amazing those around you with your ability to slice and dice and catch a flying knife by the handle.  On the 23^rd you move to the sushi table and concentrate on rolling rice in soaked seaweed while trading stories with relaxed guests.

Cancer:  The 7^th is heavy lifting day, plan to work hard.  Though positive attitudes continue to prevail, on the 10^th you will feel the weight of responsibility by evening.  March 15, around 11pm, whether you are awakened from sleep, dancing with friends, reading or watching a movie, allow yourself to grieve for someone you care about.  Big ideas come March 19, 20.  Watch out world on the 22nd.  Peace 25, 26; spirited birdsong 27-29; shelter 30, 31.

Leo:  Rest and relaxation begin for you on the 5^th.  If the weather is not right for gardening you can make bread.  By the 20^th you will be propelled into critical intellectual activity which will last till the 23^rd when stories and poetry take center stage.

Virgo:  Mars has not spent this much time in your sign since Nov 64-April 65.  (OK, Nov79-May 80 there was an abridged version.)  The language will be so far off the charts the night of March 4- March 6 you’ll have to laugh.   A measure of diplomacy will bring some relief the 9^th and 10^th and then it’s back to threats and demands.  With the neurons this fired up you’re bound to get something useful done that you can start to enjoy by the 25^th.

Libra:  Like Taurus, you rule this month.  Take a look at what Virgo’s up against and let them know they are not crazy, the world really is against them.  Don’t tell them that, just agree, or nod thoughtfully.  Let them vent, not too long though, and then gently move the conversation in a more neutral direction.  They will really mean it when they thank you.

Scorpio:  You get to feel pretty civilized this month as the words fly like a food fight in a high school cafeteria.  The more people posture the more you wonder if they understand what they are after.  The 11^th and 12^th are two days you’ll feel some answers that ring true to you.  By the 25^th the crusading will take a backseat to more immediate desires.

Sagittarius:  The morning of March 5, a bolt will strike the lightening rod minutes after you sit down to breakfast after feeding the hens.  (As if you didn’t already appreciate what farm workers do to get produce to market?)  The high voltage activity continues till March 23, but you’ll be canning at the wood stove after that close call so you won’t have to worry about it.

Capricorn:  This month (starting March 5) you find out the difference between dominating and being exalted.  While you can’t make anyone behave the way they ought to you can show them how to be good sports.  This is like the teachers playing kickball against the students.  It’s not whether you win or lose, but that you kick the ball pitched by people who look up to you.

Aquarius:  One year down and seven to go.  The eve of March 7 the critical force driving the current web of necessity will be illuminated.  The night of the 10^th the spotlight swings to you; people will be ready to hear a practical, balanced assessment of the situation, including a respectful nod to high hopes.  In spite of all the hot air, there is an urge (after the 4^th) to listen.

Pisces:  The heat is building up in our energy account and we’ll soon be caught up with the southern latitudes; meanwhile on the right, we glide past Vulcan’s furnace and get a peak in the steel shaper’s window.  This is where that sword from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was born.