Francis Meyrick

Diary (4); “The Eye of the Hurricane “

Posted on November 8, 2008

Diary (4)

THE EYE OF THE HURRICANE

The wind howled at the night and pitiful humanity, and unknown hostile forces were beating on our walls and roof.
The electricity had long since failed.
If I peered out furtively through the curtains, past the improvised plywood shutters, I could vaguely make out sheets of rain intertwined with airborne debris. Leaves, twigs, branches, corrugated sheets and other odd shapes spiraled around each other. Bizarre aerial dog fights were taking place between unidentified foes.
Periodically, our roof would creak nervously, as if the sixty year old timbers were finally meeting their match.
I wondered about our shingles, and what kind of repairs would be needed in the morning.

I knew I couldn’t sleep of course. That was out of the question. I lay down on my bed, just to prove the point to myself, and promptly feel peacefully asleep. I awoke, many hours later, quite rested, slowly becoming aware that hurricane Gustav was still not finished with us. I got up and ambled around. It seemed we were still pretty well in one piece. I couldn’t see any gaping holes in the ceiling, nor were there any strange waterfalls in the lounge. The windows were all intact. I checked outside, and could vaguely see that our neighbors across the street had not been so lucky. Their roof was in poor shape, and shredded underfelt fluttered miserably and frantically. There was nothing I could do. I watched sadly, and wondered.

A few hours later, and a sickly dawn was trying to creep across the hurricane blitzed landscape. The furious wind still reigned supreme, but by now I was used to it. I found myself ignoring the sky full of spinning, tumbling shapes. Instead, I absently tried to flick the light switch on in the kitchen. Despite the miserable lack of success, I caught myself a few minutes later walking purposefully over to the toaster. Oh well….

The wind seemed to quieten down quite suddenly. Within a ten minute period, a noticeable change took place. I wandered to the front door, looked out, and then simply walked outside onto the porch. It wasn’t flat calm by any means, but it was borderline pleasant. I guessed that the eye was coming across us. I looked up, somehow expecting to see clear skies above us. Maybe even a pale blue sky. I was disappointed. It was still overcast, but noticeably thinner and much, much brighter.
I thought back to the earthquake I’d been through in Guam. And the volcanic eruption in Rabaul. And the Brixton Riots in London. And the day I was nearly turned into Swiss Cheese by the British Army in Northern Ireland. And the night I was mugged -almost- in Budapest. And the plane crash, when I had found myself cartwheeling across the ground, with the aircraft breaking up around me.
And now this. I was looking at the eye of a hurricane. And listening to an eerie quiet settling in. No birds, no cars, no crickets. Nothing. I liked it.
Pity about the neighbors’ house. It looked a mess.

Some minutes later, the wind started increasing in intensity again. Soon the volume was being cranked right up, and debris was once again flying around. I retreated indoors. And wondered. How come.

How come I enjoy the power of Nature so much. How come I enjoy feeling that fragility of Man, that means nothing to most people. How come I enjoy experiencing once again the living truth that Man, for all his self importance, for all his pomposity, for all his delusions of grandeur, is just a small, temporal, feeble, whimpering little blind creature. With a limited mindset, a minute understanding, and a couple of shallow breaths before he dies. A few tottering steps, like those of an infant, and Man is gone. A few desperate grabs, and the opportunity for learning is over.

I have much more confidence in the lasting Truth of powers that surround us. Powers beyond our wildest imagining that we barely even sense. I suspect, as a true Floatist would say, that this ‘life’ is only lesson Numero Uno.
One page past the Introduction.

What comes next? We will see. At present, we stand in the proverbial eye of the hurricane that rages within our true inner selves. The battle that is being waged to conquer our essence, our minds, our spirits. Our souls?
I wish we could see.

What comes next? I don’t know. I surmise. I sense.
I don’t claim to know. Unlike many.

But I think it will be very, very interesting…

Francis Meyrick
(c)

Last edited by Francis Meyrick on December 27, 2008, 8:06 pm


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