Archive
10/30/09 - (1)
Jealous Lover Downs
One rainy day, The sixteenth consecutive one in what was shaping up to be crucial In creating a full-fledged inundation of his spirit,
Montauk "Kennesaw Mountain" Riboflavin-Estes Fell prey to the unpredictable volition Of the modest creek that backed up to his modest two-story house
(His and the seventeen others that dotted Jealous Lover Downs), Watched, with intimidation he'd never experienced And the helplessness of a transfixed witness to a street murder,
As Jealous Lover Creek overflowed its rank, saturated banks And it sought refuge from the deluge, in his basement, Then in his living/dining room, den, breakfast nook, and laundry cove,
Before climbing the front-hall stairs, to the master bedroom, Where Riboflavin-Estes rocked in his favorite La-Z-Boy chair, Waiting for the "Great Flood of '09" to subside.
Why he hadn't heeded his neighbors' enlightened advice, entreaties, The fire- and police-departments' official exhortations, orders, He couldn't say, even as he rafted away, in his Dreamtime Recliner,
From the rat-infested sinking ship his evacuated home had become, Took to sea, at high tide, through the French doors, Only to be capsized, washed away, carried so far downstream,
It was weeks before authorities fished out his decomposing body, Riddled with blowflies and maggots, three counties south, Naked as a deshelled conch, a descaled trout.
Thrice before, this ghastly ending had visited Riboflavin-Estes — Twice as disturbing, cold-sweat-inducing dreams, Once in a panic attack he had while mowing his lawn.
He couldn't deny that the prospect hadn't adhered to his psyche, Much like a goliath leech to the captain of the African Queen (A movie he much admired),
But he never dreamed (speaking figuratively, not literally) That destiny would take his fate so seriously, See to it that he'd have no recourse but to submit to its behest.
Now, Jealous Lover Downs has been completely razed, Rebuilt in recession-bare-bones modular homogeneity. Jealous Lover Creek is reinforced with a Lower Ninth Ward–style levee.
All eighteen identical, even more modest, single-story dwellings Boast occupants new to the "New And Vastly Improved" subdivision, Who bought Creekside Builders' "Five-Year Safety Assurance"
That the houses will last until the next 5000-year flood. In fact, all eighteen starter families, located in cozy proximity, Not only have each other but "picturesque Jealous Lover Creek."
They get together, with uncommon regularity, for block-party barbecues, Televised-football, -basketball, and -baseball potlucks. That they snub Jealous Lover Creek is probably not a wise idea.
10/30/09 - (1)
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