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The Evil Eyes of Autumn

September 21, 2004

Susan with Turish Evil Eye Pendant, artist blog, creative blog, artist journal, creative journal, art blog

Last Sunday was the day I wait for all year - The first splendid yank of the carpet from under my least favorite of seasons - summer. I'm not a big summer fan, and I know that sounds really party pooper-ish of me, but the Viking blood coursing through my veins is more akin to anti-freeze than coolant. As a matter of fact, the coming of this event elicits semi-orgasmic "Oooos" and "Ahhhs" out of me – I LOVE it that much.

My friend Andrea and I happened to be on Freedom Plaza for this momentous event. The Turkish Festival had lured us downtown with the promise of buttery baklava and bellydancing. As bonafide 6 month veterans of Sahara Dance studio, nothing gets our asses shimmying out of our respective apartments quicker than the prospect of witnessing a professional performance.

We arrived on the scene around 11:00, and carefully made our way through the many tents filled with Turkish carpets, slippers, ceramics and jewelry. Table after table covered with bracelets and earrings, they were total eye-candy for the pair of ethnic jewelry-obsessed Bohemians that we are.

Andrea was atwitter as she called Lauren, her roommate from her cell, "Dude!" (she says "dude" a lot) "You've got to get down here... there are evil eyes everywhere!"

"Evil Eyes?" I asked increduously ... "Aren't you off by a couple of blocks? The White House is that way."

"See all those pendants with the black dots inside of blue dots inside of white circles?" she replied. "Those are all evil eyes!"

Andrea's in the know about this sort of thing. She speaks about 5 different languages and is a media specialist for an NGO, working specifically with Montenegro. If it's cultural and cool, shiny and pretty, her covetous heart is yearning for it, as is mine.

"Ooooo Evil eyes?" I querried. "You mean.. you hang them on the wall... dangle them from your ears... and they scare evil sprits away?"

"Precisely!"

"Oh! I want some evil eyes of my own!" I exclaimed, bobbing up and down with my trademark geeky excitement. "Do you think they'll scare away the evil sprits of insomnia that have pitched there evil tents in my bedroom?"

"Couldn't hurt to try... this is a NICE one," she raised up a trinket which hung in a vertical line with silver beads and a big EVIL EYE hanging from the end. "It has a camel on it."

I'm a sucker for camels, "How much?" I asked the vendor.

"Ten dollars," the vendor replied.

A moment later, and 10 dollars short, I was in possession of my very own evil eyeball! I covered my right eye with it, looking directly in Andrea's direction. "Ha ha! I'm putting a SPELL on you."

"You're so completely nuts," here eyes rolled skyward and a knowing grin stretched across her face. "When does the dancing begin?"

"2:30."

"Well.. that's not for another hour. How 'bout we get some gyros?

This splendid idea left us stuffed, satisfied, and ultimately lounging like harem Queens on the rose-colored marble wall encasing the plaza. The air was crisp and the sky couldn't have possibly been bluer.

It was precisely at 2:20pm when the realization hit me that this was the day I had been yearning for. Not only would we bear witness to another belly dance extravaganza, but there was a shift in the air. A blustery breeze swept through the plaza sending American flags rising to attention in brilliant waves of red and blue. As I laid back and gazed into the ocean of sky, the wind furled over me and I let out an elated gasp of pleasure, "Autumn is finally heeeere!" I sang out, sucking lung-fulls of air into my belly. Autumn has finally come!"

Tourists and Turks looked suspiciously in my general direction. Was such a public display allowed on Freedom Plaza?

Evidently it was - the evil eye already casting it's wonderful spell over the nation's capital, and setting hope afire within my hungry soul.

{ Today just happens to be the Autumnal Equinox! We'll encounter equal portions of light & dark today, marking a time of balance & equanimity. }

Posted by vincent at September 21, 2004 07:00 PM

Comments

good..

Posted by: bulsis at March 21, 2006 07:53 AM