Last night, about 7 pm, I received this message from Razorite Marta in New York City:
How does one pray to someone who is not? I'm scared and I wish I could have had an answer the other hundred million times I've asked myself that question. I'm hunkered down in my ground floor apartment on a small island in the middle of East River, which is not really a river but a tidal channel that connects New York Harbor with the Long Island Sound. I sit here and I wish there wasn't a full moon tonight and that none of the other elements of the so called perfect storm would in fact align. I wish the power stays on, but the volume on my TV cannot possibly drown that dreadful sound of the howling wind, it just makes it worse...a false sense of safety. I turn if off and listen to the sound of pure fear and remember that even though I don't know how to pray, God is with me and it is that part of me that is always strong, even when I most certainly am not.
There was this, too, from 1611:
Where should this music be? i' the air or the earth?
It sounds no more: and sure, it waits upon
Some god o' the island. Sitting on a bank,
Weeping again the king my father's wreck,
This music crept by me upon the waters,
Allaying both their fury and my passion
With its sweet air: thence I have follow'd it,
Or it hath drawn me rather. But 'tis gone.
No, it begins again.
If you have an update from your own home in the zone of this storm, please put it in the comments section.
Firstly, Marta, IPLaw and others - I hope you have all fared the storm safely. Durham was only on the fringes and we still have steady and ocassional gusting winds from this storm.
ReplyDeleteWhen I flew into and out of JFK on Saturday I noted the beautiful fall colors on the island (from the air). I daresay that like here in Durham county the color has been ripped from the trees leaving only the reminder of what was a few short days ago to my memory.
Please stay safe and know that I am thinking of you today and as the recovery fromthe storm begins in earnest.
As far as I know, my family is fine. They don't have power, but Pine Bush loses power a lot, so they're used to it. My friends in Albany are OK too; lots of wind there, and some people are out of power, but others are able to return to work today.
ReplyDeleteThank you Christine. The power didn't go out and the water didn't breach the seawall that surrounds us, but since I have power I watch the news and see the terrible devastation so nearby, in fact in places I've been only the other day. I feel humbled and thankful by how fortunate I am to have gotten away with just a scare.
ReplyDeleteMarta - are you on Roosevelt Island? Glad to hear the seawall held back the water.
ReplyDeleteDespite early predictions, Philadelphia was largely spared. There are lots of downed trees in parts of the city but the infrastructure was left intact.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts and prayers are with those of you who bore the brunt of the storm.
Yes, Christine, I'm on Roosevelt Island and after a walk around I saw many places where the water did come over the wall. Funny to notice what the debris line left behind...a pair of expensive suit pants sticks to mind. It feels as if we're inside an overloaded boat, for the water is right at the brim and high tide is yet to come.
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