The ark of dreams

If you look outside our window
There is water everywhere
All the things without a shadow
Float into the atmosphere


With the sun above our head
We are jolly and enchanted
For we pray our love to spread
Where our fertile seed's been planted 
  



Some time ago our journey started
We do not now when it will end, 
From our world we have been parted
Your horizon to extend


Our eyes can't stop from glancing
All the beauty from up high
When the clouds above are dancing
With the mermaids in the sky


 


 

There's always Hope

                                                    Part one

I still believe in fairy tales, I always have and I'll always will. Although grown up, I still feel the shivers down my spine when I hear of a princess in need or a charming prince ready to do anything for his love. This is the story I want to tell you:

         Once upon a time, in the land of One thousand Colors, a land situated right under the ninety nine Rainbows, lived a special girl. The girl I will tell you about is not a princess. In fact she has absolutely nothing to do with royalty. She is a simple girl like you and me, born and raised by modest people with high expectations. Graceful, delicate, kind hearted and beautiful like a May flower, she smiles at everyone trying to win back their smiles. Her name is Hope. She loves music, painting and dancing. She is almost ten now and although when she was little she wanted to be a ballerina or a famous piano player, recently she changed her mind and now all she wants is to be a traveler, to see all there is to be seen in this world.

           In The Land of One Thousand Colors life is simply bliss. The people are nice and always friendly to each other, because they’ve never seen or met a rude person in their life. Everybody has their own little house with a back yard and swings for the children. People are all polite and the ladies are all beautiful and very good at baking pies. Before they get married all of them take a class in cooking and especially in baking cherry-vanilla pies. People eat pie at lunch, dinner and ice cream for breakfast, sometimes with chocolate chip cookies. The men are in charge of the household, raising the children and driving the ladies to the hairdresser. 

         Everybody from The Land of One Thousand Colors loves the ninety nine Rainbows. You can see them on the sky at all times during the day, illuminated by a mighty sun much brighter and bigger than the one we see on  our sky. The rainbows watch over this world just like a loving mother watches over her babies. During the night, ten butter colored moons appear on the sky and take the place of the rainbows. They are all round shaped and they also have faces. Their expression changes depending on the deeds of the people from The Land of One Thousand Colors. When the people are very nice they all smile and send good and peaceful dreams to all the sleeping souls. That’s why the people all salute each other using expressions like “Hello! You made my day! Or: “Good afternoon! It wouldn’t be the like this without you!” They all need each other to be happy, and happiness has made them all good and nice.

        During the day, after school, our little Hope helps her parents. They have a vegetable garden and they sell vegetables to all the people in The Land of One Thousand Colors. Although not her favorite occupation, Hope is happy for spending all that time with her beloved father. He has already taught her all the secrets and all the secret incantations for the vegetables, so that they grow much faster than normal. Her favorite is the one for the naughty celery which sometimes refuses to grow unless you tap dance in front of it with your eyes closed while singing:

                 “I dance for celery, for celery I tap

                   I need some celery, for celery I’ll clap”

                   I spin for celery, some celery to win

                  Just grow ,my celery, you know you are the queen”

  At night, after going to bed Hope dreams she has a red haired stallion named Freddie. He comes by every night and visits her in her dreams. She rides him carefree in her dreams through green meadows of four leaf clovers and thick forests where the trees have no shadow. The ten moons smile at them as they ride together with the wind. Her black hair flies behind her spreading her lily scent everywhere. Tonight they have traveled together all the way to where The Land of One Thousand Colors ends, at the Frosty Mountain Pass.

After reaching the end of their known land, suddenly Freddie stops. Hope gets worried and asks him:

“Why are we stopping, dear friend? I want to know what is beyond The Land of One Thousand Colors and only you can take me there!”

“I will take you anywhere and everywhere my princess! Hang on to me for I’ll be quicker than your thoughts!”

 “Thank you, dear friend! We will go further and nothing bad can happen to us as long as we are together”

       Freddie looks into her beautiful green eyes knowing that she is right. He runs in the sky faster than a comet bringing his princess to unknown destinations.

           They go further and further and pass the borders of their known land. They step into a land of desert with dry vegetation and not a single soul in sight. Hope is sad and worried that maybe from now on all the places they will pass through will be like this one. The sky is different here. It is grey and covered with thick black clouds. It looks like it’s about to rain but it doesn’t. She hears the thunders but the rain is not coming. Everything is slowly dying. The few plants encountered are almost dead. This is the Land of the Thunder she has heard about. They say that this place has been cursed by one evil witch for one hundred years. She cursed the place because one of her cats fell off her broom while she was flying above this land. Back then the land was beautiful and fertile, just like the blessed land Hope comes from. The cat fell somewhere next to a farm and just disappeared. The farmers didn’t even see the cat. The witch came quickly after her precious cat, but couldn’t find it. Nobody ever could.  After desperately looking for it the witch got really angry and cursed the place yelling:

             “One hundred years of thunder for those who took my cat!

               One hundred years of drought if you don’t bring it back!”

And because nobody did, the clouds changed their color to dark grey, and the innocent citizens of this land have never seen the sunshine or rain ever again. All of them left their homes behind after seeing that the rain will never come on these lands again.

          Surrounded by the desert and the grey clouds above, Freddie feels the same tension Hope is feeling and proceeds further and further at a faster pace. The heat seems to be unbearable, and what is even stranger is that somewhere in the distance all they can see is water. It looks like an ocean or a sea.

“Freddie, it seems to me we have to go faster or we’ll both dry like all these flowers did!”

“Don’t worry princess, maybe we’ll find that cat and break the curse, laughed Freddie running in the distance faster than the wind.

“Do you see the water in front of you? Am I already hallucinating?”

“Either we both are or there’s a sea in front of us. Hang on to me princess, I’ll take you there!”

 Hope leans her head on the mighty stallion and holds on to him. She closes her eyes wondering what happened to the witch’s cat. Is it still alive? How could it just disappear? After a while she realizes that the air is cooler, actually it’s not as hot anymore. She hears seagulls, in the distance, she hears waves. She stands up and sees the big light blue water right underneath.

Above them the sky is simply beautiful. Purple colored, mixed with shades of blue and lilac and a multitude of clouds all white. A sun, smaller than the one they have back home warms the beautiful water land. The water is light blue colored and transparent at the same time. As they come closer to the beautiful beach which lies in front of them, Hope notices the shiny golden color the sand has. It is covered with multicolored sea shells.

“Oh Freddy, it’s simply beautiful! Let’s stop for a while, you could use the rest!”

“Of course we will, princess, you must be very tired too. I’ll stop us right under that shell palm”

“I think they all moved here after she has cursed their lands! It’s heaven! This is how it must look like!” said Hope after taking one bite from the shell nut she found next to the shell tree.

“Have one, Freddie, they taste better that papa’s pie berries!”

“To me nothing tastes better than your father’s pie berries!”

“That’s what you said about the carrot soufflé mom made last week, and we both know that you were just being polite. I saw the look on your face when she served you another portion “

“Please, don’t remind me about that supper. Now I know why I don’t like rabbits. They eat too many carrots!”

They laughed and laughed about rabbits, about carrots and all the other funny vegetables in her father’s garden. They laughed about the mean witch who lost her cat. They were in heaven and as long as they had each other nothing could go wrong.

 Exhausted after the long trip they fell asleep under the shell tree each imagining they were at home in their own beds all tucked in.

“No matter what tomorrow brings

I will be right beside you

I’ll fight a war, I will grow wings

To serve and to protect you”

To be continued

Remembrance

"That day will never come

We'll simply run away 

They cannot hold us here,

They'll never make us stay!"

"Don't think about the past

My horse is more than fast

Don't worry, we’ll be fine

If you have doubts, drink wine"

That's how he calmed her down

His eyes were wet and brown

His hair was all a mess 

He couldn't hope, but guess

The princess was not scared

His love was more than shared

She took him by the hand

And looked out to her land

They will return one day

When nothing will be gray

When birds will sing and flowers bloom

That day cannot come too soon!

"Let's get away from here

I will not shed one tear!

The ice will catch us soon

The time we have's 'till noon"

So they took off, my friends

Together, holding hands

The world was theirs alone

They didn't care about the throne

On a summer’s night clear sky

Up where the eagles dare to fly

They can be seen still holding hands

Waiting to come back to their lands.

The longer the path, the more the battles

I can feel the world spinning around me and I can't keep up. The horizon changes constantly and my mind expands and contracts like a giant heart which pumps more blood than the ocean and the Mississippi river combined. That's when I know the time has come to face my fear and take one step further. The steps I take are always forward,  because as I'm sure you know, there is no backwards,  time has only one direction, always leading me to another battle which I have to win, or, as my grandfather used to say, I'll be turned into a   chalk queen on a giant's chess board.

Not knowing when the enemy will strike, I must be prepared and that’s why I wear my armor at all times. I wear it under my clothes, buried under my skin very close to my heart. One must always be prepared these days, for the evil will always find a way to sneak into your kitchen.

As I see the evil shadow lurking in the corner of the room, I remember an old saying:

 “Let the warrior chose his weapon, for there's only one weapon he can be invincible with" 

I look the shadow in its unseen eyes and I bend my head in front of it, for no matter how strong the enemy, there's always time for courtesy. 

I stand there silently waiting for the enemy to give me the first blow, for then I'll know how his best shot feels like. If I'll survive that means I'm strong enough to defeat him, if I'll fall down dead that means I didn't stand a chance anyway. 

As it hits me and stabs me in my heart, I feel his hit all the way to the marrow of my spine and the tip of my toes. But I always fight the pain and keep my muscles tense and so I don't feel much, sometimes any pain at all. I mustn’t reveal my secret to him, for otherwise the evil monster will learn my trick and try to hit me harder.

After his blow I try to look broken and devastated. I try to look hurt and scared. I try to look miserable and ashamed, and then I plan my next move: my sword lies beside me, it will always be there, for like my armor, it is already a part of me. I carry it proud and conscious and as I see its shine in the enemy's eyes I feel   my garden blooming and my giraffe heart pumping the magical blood in my frail body. I feel alive and blessed; I find my place in the universe and in the world again. I see my kingdom in front of my eyes with all its beauty. 

With every breath I take  I grow, my hands turn into giant tentacles and as I grab the sword I know that if I do it right, all I need is one blow and all the evil will be put to rest. I stand in front of it, brave, like a mighty roman soldier, and holding my sword, I spin together with the world and I hear everything unheard before. I can understand all the voices, the thoughts and the wishes I hear. 

I hit him hard and as he falls down I'm ready to take another step.

The luck has left the lucky

You know how fairy tales begin

One never loses, they all win.

The sky was blue, the grass was green

Best day in June you've ever seen,

As I was walking through the woods,

Bringing my fairy friend some goods,

Down the path I always take, 

Next to the beautiful blue lake

What do I see in front of me?

Holding his elbow on one knee,

Up on the rock, a little man

Who looked a lot like Peter Pan

He seemed so lost, he looked so sad, 

He made me feel so very bad!

He was not young, his hair was white, 

His clothes were poor and way too tight!

„Hey little man, what's wrong with you?

Did you get lost? What can I do?

Don't feel ashamed to say what's wrong

For I cannot stay with you too long"

"Oh milady, you're too kind, 

There's simply so much on my mind

I lost my lucky charm last week, 

Since then I cannot stop but seek

Without it I'm no good, you see, 

For it has always been with me"

"I'm sorry for your loss my friend,

If you need help, one hand I'll lend

Although I don't agree with you, 

One man's luck you can't pursue

There is no charm to bring ones' luck

When one not luck is bound to strike

Sometimes no matter what we do, 

We lose our luck, and so did you"

 "Well milady, you must be right

I know with luck one cannot fight, 

It comes; it goes; sometimes for good

If I could beg for it, I would.

Sometimes I cannot simply show,

Although deep down inside, I know, 

I am the same today like then 

I'll always stay an old wise man"

That's what he said, the wise old gnome,

So he thanked me and went home

His luck came back next day I've heard

‘cause he had patience, as reward.

So when it comes to luck, dear friends,

One cannot simply stretch its ends

How to love a giraffe

Those who say that they know giraffes must be wrong. I don't think giraffes can ever be resumed, not even in one million phrases. They change constantly and their personality is different in any moment you meet them. I used to get mad at first, because all the time when I met one giraffe and I was really friendly and polite with the long necked creature, suddenly a very rude answer came along: 

"And they say that the air I'm breathing has less oxygen! Look at you, your head is even above mine, you're up in the clouds!"

"Just because you don't understand what I'm trying to say that doesn't mean that there's something wrong with what I'm saying! You giraffes, you think you know everything!" I said, looking at her huge legs.

"Of course we do! All the words spoken on this planet come to our ears. Our ears are above you all and that's why we're special, for we know everything. Besides, we have the strongest heart and we love more than you ever will."

„Then why are you so rude? Where I come from everybody's nice and polite."

„Oh, I’m sorry about that. It’s not rudeness; it's just that I am in a really big hurry. You see, Dina the zebra, is about to give birth and I must bring her some fresh grass. You take everything too personal! Now step aside, for I have to run and the wind is blowing in my face!"

And the giant started to run, totally disorganized, chaotic, throwing her huge legs on the grass and singing a song with her almost soprano like voice. As she started to run, I could feel the earth moving under my legs. I couldn't even see her face the whole time she spoke to me, for she was really tall.

Our encounters have the same pattern every time and no matter how hard I try, I’m never prepared for them. She always leaves me without a line and I always stand there dazzled watching her leave, thinking about what she has just said. The giraffes I know are all like that for this is their charm, they have the strongest heart and they love more than we ever will.

Before butterflies they were all maggots

We've lost the power to believe that sometimes a really ugly and most disgusting thing can be the beginning of something spectacular. We don't believe in happy endings or happiness anymore. And when we do this, when we stop believing, we begin to grow old. The mermaids in the sky disappear and the rainbows start to fade, slowly being absorbed in the background. Sometimes the mermaids leave my kingdom without any notice and I don’t even realize they’ve left. And when I do, no matter how hard I look, I cannot find them. Although a part of me knows they are not here, I keep on looking, hoping that my luck has changed and I will succeed. 
"They must be hiding around here somewhere!" I say to myself with tears in my eyes. But then I get really sad and start to feel lonely. For days I stay in the library trying to read a very boring adventure novel. Secretly I am hoping that one of the mermaids will come knocking at my window.

"Anytime now, anytime! They will come and we will play again"

 Days go by and the sky is gray. The clouds move really fast barely changing their shape. They seem somehow disappointed too, for the mermaids always caressed and gave them a shape. The most depressing image is the old oak in front of the castle. It has no leaves, not even one! He sits there sad, ashamed and resigned wondering, just like me, if better days will ever come in this kingdom. I cannot help him, for my powers are too weak without their game. I want to hug him and tell him how sorry I am and that I know that he’s the most amazing oak in the whole world.

They say that if something is bound to happen, it will happen anyway. A miracle is like a falling star. You never know if it's an accident or the result of complicated mathematical equations. Every now and then I have the honor to face a miracle. Maybe for you it's not much, one person might not even see it. A little mermaid comes at my window. She's small, not young, for they have no age, red haired, with an emerald colored tail and big blue eyes. She knocks impatiently wiggling her tail and waving her little hands. She tells me to go outside for all the other mermaids came back from their journey with gifts for me. They are waiting above the forest. I must hurry! Later on we will play the mermaid game. We will play today and tomorrow. We will play for ever and I will never be alone again.  As I give her my hand I smile and I understand why there are so many maggots in this world.