No Ordinary Day 1977

By skinner_jennifer

Mon, 12 Sep 2011
  • 2293 reads
13 comments
 

Embracing the culture - seeking to
understand a language so beguiling and
charismatic, incompetent as we were to
decipher the Serbo-Croat tongue,

Like magnets...we were drawn to the bay,
anchoring ourselves to the soft sand -
where the Ocean gently lapped the shore,
our bare feet red-hot...as we strive to
venture, each grain blistering our soles,

the aquamarine of the Ocean - inviting us
to play...we held hands like children...
our spirits high - racing to the shore...
the cool sensation - a blessed relief -

tanned - bronzed bodies share towels in
the baking heat...one hundred degrees...
tiny fish swim around - tickling our feet,
before swimming out to feed in corals deep,

as we stride out in this vast expanse of
Ocean - as young dreamers we were back then,
unhindered by concerns of time...willing we
took chances...adventure seeking, as the sun
glistened on each crystal...gleaming ripple,
gazing up at the blue cloudless sky.

We got lost that day - friends - lovers,
unable to behave, light-hearted pleasures,
spellbound we gazed on in wonder...as the
hours hasten into the ensuing evening...

avoiding the hand gesture of the local
resident - as like a Shepherd herding his
sheep - he attempted to clear the beach...
we smile but ignore him - not wishing to
leave this scene of divine utter beauty...

to sit here - the coolness of the evening,
watching as the Sun goes down beyond the
horizon...we were captivated...soaking up
every moment - till finally the last rays
disappear and then darkness prevails...

the miracle of a new dreamy night is upon
us, as the stars twinkle like diamonds sewn
on a black velvet gown...as dreamers we were
wishing to have fun - two bottles of the local
grape...now we'd made our great escape...

to share with friends under stars above - if
you thought we became merry...well yes we were
intoxicated - in the zone, as Led Zepplin's
Stairway to Heaven, came floating - drifting
out across the sand, from the music machine,

not noticing the chill of the night - the
vastness of space and time...a distant memory,
we danced...weaving our bodies to the sounds -
trance like leaving our footprints in the sand,

*****

no one could have told us on that day -
a death trap at night this sandy bay...
as through the shadows, crawling along,
a vehicle progresively advances on...
leaving a trail - a cloud of smoky haze,

crawling on hands and knees - like those
sea turtles returning to the vast Ocean,
we became trapped in a vapour of choking
fumes - faces hidden by wet towels...the
darkness consumed us, we were shivering,
cold and afraid - we could only wait...
the only sound the lapping of the Ocean,
drowning out our muffled cries,

how long were we stranded? we could not
tell - for at night the darkness could
be so disorientating - lost and confused,
but ever resolute - our desire to see the
coming of the dawn,

tremulously and with trepidation - the
haze dwindled...our destination no longer
obscured - we made our way across the sand,
our hotel sitting quaintly on top of the
Cliff - a welcome sight to our eyes...

we started to run - hotfooting it without
delay...for at this beach, we did not care
to stay, this nocturnal nightmare over...
scrambling we ascend the steps to safety...

through the doorway of our hotel, as we
entered standing like four drowned rats,
we ran past reception - quickly into the
lift - mortified...shamed faces, our beds
were all we desired and to dry off...for
we were so cold and tired.

The next morning at breakfast...we enquired
about last night, we said that we'd had such
a terrible fright - the Waiter explained about
fumigation...which ofcourse was the cause of
our humiliation...nobody could have told us...
it would turn out this way...for this was the
tale of no ordinary day.

Certificate 15
Poem
Poems
Autobiography

Comments

Submitted by Silver Spun Sand on
Gosh, Jenny...you must have been petrified. But I bet the beach would have been nice and clean afterwards;-) I really, really enjoyed this. It is a wonderful account, and a picture so skilfully painted with your words. Just a tiny typo: should be 'sewn' in the ninth stanza. The ending took me completely by surprise...but not half as surprised as you must have been. You have put much work into this, and it shows, and has certainly paid off. This, my favourite stanza:- "the aquamarine of the Ocean - inviting us to play...we held hands like children... our spirits high - racing to the shore... the cool sensation - a blessed relief -" Great stuff, Jenny;-) Tina

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on
Hi Tina, thankyou for the help, I'm so glad you enjoyed reading this. I can honestly say it's one of those moments I'll never forget, we really thought we were going to die from the fumes. But like you said the beaches were so clean, there were no flies or mosquitoes. I have to say, this has been one of the hardest pieces I have written to date and my poor partner has been so patient, in fact when I finally finished it, I felt like I'd run a marathon, but it was well worth the effort, as I really got a lot out of it with those memories too. Thankyou for the lovely comment and I too love that stanza aswell. Thanks again. Jenny.

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on
Dear Jenny, not an ordinary day. I'll say: it must have been quite an ordeal. It must have stuck in your memory as you have been able to describe every single event. Perhaps if you had been acquainted with the language you might have been informed of the situation. What a horrid way to end an enjoyable day. Well recounted. Luigi x

 

Submitted by TVR on
What I love about your writing, Jen, particularly your poetry, is that it is never self-obsessed (unlike mine) and it is always objective, in other words you are always able to get outside of yourself and see truths. You never seem to be hampered by what is known as 'author intrusion'. I thought this was exceptional from you and I continue to be amazed and thrilled at your progress. sue

TVR

Submitted by Highhat on
I agree with Sue- you bring the experience to the foreground and not yourself. That is a very good trait and makes such an interesting read and as you are so close to nature it reads so beautifully. Though this was a pretty terifying experience. You built it up really well. A real masterpiece- a lot of hard work really well done Jenny. ;)Pia

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on
Hi luigi, I have to say, it definitely wasn't an ordinary day, not even for a holiday. We spent three weeks in what was then Yugoslavia, it was one of the best holidays I've ever had, the people were so friendly and as I was telling Tina, everywhere was so clean. Thankyou so much for reading, I really do appreciate your thoughts. I really do wish I had learnt the language, but at least I came out of the situation okay, I can now just think of it as an experience. Thankyou again. Jenny. x

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on
Hi there sue, that was such a kind thing to say about my writing, I don't even notice the way I'm writing, I just tend to go with the flow, whatever comes into my mind. Whenever I write something, I never think I will beable to improve on it, this is one of those pieces, because it actually made my head hurt and I'm one of those people that cannot sleep, if I have an idea in my mind, my concentration goes fully into the story, or poem. I really do appreciate your supportive words because I admire your work so much. Your descriptions in your stories are amazing, you create a picture, which is what I like to do with my pieces, I think it helps the reader get into the story better. Anyway thankyou again for reading and leaving a comment, I always love to hear your thoughts. Jenny.

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on
Dear Pia, I'm so thankful for your thoughts on my writing. I really had to say phew! when I had finished writing this piece, it was certainly a mind blower. Really pleased that I was able to bring the story out so fully for you, to get a vivid picture of what happened. The experience was very terrifying and we were so young back then, didn't really understand danger, or were not aware of it, just living for the here and now, which I'm sure you can relate too. It's not so bad when you come through bad experiences and are able to talk about them afterwards, it kind of puts life in prospective, 'I think that's the word, I'm trying to convey.' If we didn't have these situations, life would be boring, I think it's what gives us our imagination, don't you think? Anyway I'm rambling again, so I'll say thankyou for letting me know your thoughts and for reading. Hope you're having a good Tuesday. Take care. Jenny.

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on
Hi sue, thanks again for your kind words, always appreciated. Jenny.

 

Submitted by Cavalcader on
new skinner_jennifer Hi! jenny, brilliant way you have told the story. And as most have said the way it is told. But I should think anyone would be shattered, store this up so long. But sometimes we do! Or may have too! Now the story has got out! With the sad consequences. I like the same stanza as Silver-Spun-Sand typed written. The ending powerful, happening and all alive! Well done fumigation can kill, but all seemed to work out in the end. Definitely not and ordinary day. Sometimes memories go back, or we forget no other way. Loved coloured images and ocean etc; I remember Kareoke night in hotel on holiday Skegness last night, huge storm going bed,lights all out. Leaving next morning, but for the grace of god go I out-side all in morning, only hit chimney tops, shut all electricity off. all the best julie xx

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on
Hi there julie, thankyou first of all for reading this piece of my holiday. It was definitely one of those experiences that will stay with me forever. I suppose what made it even more frightening, it was the fact that we were in a different country. Yugoslavia was one of the best countries I've been to, the people were so friendly, I remember a little bar we used to go to, I can't remember the name of it, but they played all our favourite music, we went there practically every night and we became quite friendly with the barman, who was able to speak English. I'm glad you liked the description of the Ocean, as I also loved the Ocean, it was so aqua blue and clear to look at and swim in, also to see the shoals of fish swimming. That storm you mentioned sounded really bad, I hope you were able to sleep. I actually love storms, well as long as I don't have to go out ofcourse, but I love thunder and lightening, I find it so energizing. Well hope you sleep well and thankyou again for reading and leaving a kind comment. JENNY. xx

 

Submitted by Overthetop1 on
Really evocative. What an experience, especially not knowing what was happening. You describe it so well. I also went to what was then Yugoslavia and stayed at a beautiful mountainside resort called Bohinj. Not sure is that's the right spelling. It was so beautiful and peaceful. But not everything always goes right on holidays, even if we expect them to. I got really ill in Bali, which should have been a paradise. Perhaps I too, could write about it some day. Thanks for a great read.

Overthetop1

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on
Hi there Overthetop1, firstly can I say, thankyou so much for reading this piece, it's really appreciated. I have to say, that I've not heard of Bohinj, but then again Yugoslavia was a big place back then. We stayed for two weeks in a place called Podgora, from which we did a lot of touring. One of the best places we went to, was Dubrovnik, you could walk the castle wall and look out to sea, it was so inspiring. The third week we stayed on an Island called Brac, which is where this piece is based on. The hotel had its own beach, it was such a beautiful bay. But I have to say that the steps leading from the beach up to the hotel, were just like a stairway to heaven, because they seemed to go on and on. I think that it would be great for you to write about your holiday in Bali, it's such a shame when you go on holiday, especially to somewhere so exotic, then you become ill. Anyway again thankyou for reading and sharing with me your feelings, I really enjoyed reading. Jenny.