Riverside

 

October 1, 2024

No sleep last night. The earthmovers worked from dusk to dawn, their backup signals the exact pitch and volume as a clock alarm. Did anybody sleep? Was it just me?

Message from A assuring me that the Riverside office escaped unharmed (though the basement under it flooded). Sobbed ugly five minutes with relief. I’d hidden from myself how deep the dread went. I’m sure my dear High Five by the river and all the picnic tables where I did so much writing is gone. The river almost touched it after an ordinary heavy rain. Most everything is gone to some degree. We will have to relearn everything.

Useless, tranquil days spent by the beach. Maybe I’ll return later if recovery drags on, as it appears it might.

Watched a boy, about 13, playing with his little brother and sister on the beach. They were tigers and he their prey. He delighted in his speed and agility eluding them. As a boy I never delighted in anything physical, as breathlessness and exhaustion lay always near. Innocent games of TAG were terror for me.

Reading The Prelude, so my thoughts and observations bend back to me

The ACE has made the beach as straight as the edge of a ruler. That is very weird.

A woman invited me to watch the sunset with her.

Bats pursue dragonflies outside my window. This gives me joy. Now I realize the bats and the dragonflies are pursuing the same (to me) invisible prey.