La Grange

©2008 by Annabelle A. Udo

Chevron Gas Prices o' the Day (19th Avenue)
$4.33
$4.45
$4.55

Every 17 years the cicadas arrive in La Grange—the long-awaited symphony comes to town to play the harmony of the season amidst the trees. In La Grange, life seems pleasantly slow. It’s a place where childhood memories are in front of your eyes—with manicured lawns, a lemonade stand, and neighbors who live side by side without fences. It’s that kind of a place where one might be able to find a cherry pie cooling on the sill of an open window wafting an inviting smell to a lucky passerby. The fireflies playfully light up at night as children chase after them and cup them in their hands and rabbits splash and roll around happily in puddles created by the sprinklers. It seems hard to believe that this place with such manners exists in a time that seems fraught with angst. There’s a certain good feeling in La Grange, as if a re-run of a favorite black and white TV show has come alive. One day softly ends and another begins in this smallville approximately 10 miles west of Chicago, as they safely make it through their mid-night slumber.

From the suburban crawl to the urban sprawl, I return to the mayhem of city living and I am once again welcomed by the thumping bass of #602's stereo and the pollutants of #605's lingering second-hand smoke. La Grange suddenly becomes a surreal moment as if awaking from a dream and having to leave all my friends behind.

I Was Joan of Arc

©2008 by Annabelle A. Udo

Chevron Gas Prices o' the Day (19th Avenue)
$4.55
$4.67
$4.79

Ka-chunka chunka,cough cough, hack, hack!. . .and the virtual gypsy spat out my evaluation: "You were Joan of Arc in a past life! Of all of your past lives, Joan was your most prominent. If your dreams are ever filled with faint visions of conquests, armor, fighting, horseback riding, sword fights, masses of people, and quiet studying, these are glimpses into a world once occupied by your 'vessel'. Cherish your past life and invigorate your current one knowing that you embody greatness in all that you do."

Hump Day Chatter

©2008 by Annabelle A. Udo

Chevron Gas Prices o' the Day (19th Avenue)
$4.55
$4.67
$4.79

I am here and you are there with time surrounding us everywhere. The fog covers this old town as if blanketed in cobwebs. Everyone is on holiday to celebrate their independence although gas prices have gone up. And I am one of them. I am intrigued as I discover a treasure trove of 16th century music written by a man named John Dowland. There are still legends among us--diamonds in the ancient dust of time. Must respect our elders. I stumble upon the rough terrain of life--barefoot and tattered--my daily existence is that of a hunter and gatherer in search of peace in a world so full of conflict.