Oh, How I Love Thee, October

October is one of my favorite months of the year.  There is something spellbinding about it as the autumn leaves and ghostly fascinations leave me feeling nothing less than an unexplainable rapture.

 

There are several things to celebrate this October.  We rescued a beautiful, black cat over the weekend after my mother's Liver Life Walk.  She was previously owned by an elderly woman who, unfortunately, had to move into a nursing home.  My mother and her neighbor said she was a kind old woman who probably loved this cat very much.

Sadly, the elderly woman's degenerate son overtook the property kicked the cat out.  I can only assume he had something very tight around Luna's neck (I named her Bella Luna in dedication to the "beautiful moon" I saw driving home from work two weeks ago) because she has a circular scar around her neck where there is no fur, just skin.  Luna also hides a lot, especially when the dear is around.  I can only imagine she fears men because of the previous ill-treatment she received from that monster who kicked her out.

Luna is about six months old and the most adorable thing in the world!  She talks to me all of the time.  I can't fathom people who abuse or kick out indoor animals, resulting in them either dying on the streets or becoming homeless for good.  My mother doesn't live in the safest of towns so there was no way I was going to let Luna be terrorized by other stray cats or God knows what else.

So let's give a big round of applause for my beautiful moon, Luna!

I also love decorating my home for the fall.  I usually have mums and pumpkins outside while continuing to purchase anything that has to do with Halloween at Walmart or Target, ha!  We have a gorgeous mantle which overlooks the mountains and trees where I have a Harvest theme going on.  I'm going to retrieve the rest of our decorations from the storage downstairs but here is a sneak peek at what I have created so far.

 

 

 

My birthday is also in October, yay!  This year, we will be taking a long weekend while engaging in a road trip as well as a Harvest theme party for the big day.  I will be looking forward to October 25th!

I'm also hoping to get a lot more writing done this month.  October and November provide some amazing writing material as I gaze out of my window each morning and watch the sky slowly awaken.  The sky seems different during the fall.  There is something comfortably cool and pristine about it. 

Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing some ghost stories which have happened in my life as well as my mother and grandmother's.  I'm also hoping to get one of my most recent poems up but it still has to go through some edits. 

For now, I'm sharing an ode I wrote in dedication to my late great-grandmother.  She was a divine soul who was always conjuring up ghost stories or spooking my sisters and me by acting like a witch, chasing us around the house.  She had such a presence about her which until this day, radiates from the memories in my heart.

I love Florence and the Machine so I decided to write an ode against the lyrics of "Only If For a Night."  This poem reflects a ghostly dream I had about my great grandmother and is perfect for celebrating the 1st day of October.  I hope you enjoy!

“And I had a dream about my old school” She was standing behind my sophomore English professor in a white, tattered dress.   Her skin; porcelain white, reflecting off of the decadence of dancing dust bunnies fading into the sunlight streaming through the classroom window. 

“And she was there on pink and gold and glittering” She took my hand and walked me through dark halls until we met corundum gems in pink skies...and a sun so strikingly golden and bright...inevitably blinding my judgment as we continued to walk toward the old church behind Alumni Hall.

“I threw my arms around her legs” When we arrived at the church, we were suddenly thrusted into her backyard where a cemetery once haunted my dreams as a child.  I was no longer a young woman but a frightened little girl; wrapping myself at the seams of the bottom of her torn dress.

“Came to weeping” (came to weeping) As I fell to the ground, tears poured into the graves of my loved ones, including hers.“Came to weeping” (came to weeping) She wrapped her ceramic white hands around my face and lifted my head toward her captivating rapture.

 

“And I heard your voice as clear as day” It pierced through my veins like a thousand climatic echoes thrashing through the Himalayan Mountains of my most beloved memories of her as a child.

“And you told me I should concentrate” I knew I was throwing my education away because of my addictions and every other demon college had provided my tortured soul.

“It was all so strange” She stood before me; silken and cold, yet, warm and bounded by the blood and comfort of our home. 

“And so surreal” I felt her pain straggling to take hold onto all of my senses; almost to scare the darkness out of my confused inhibitions and longing for her to stay.

“That a ghost should be so practical” As sorry and desperate as I had been, I knew in my heart I should have always listened to her. 

“Only if for a night” I wanted to stay lost in her existence so I clung to my remembrances for as long as I possibly could.

“And the only solution was to stand and fight” I stood up as my rage banged against the hands of time trying to take my apparition away.

“And my body was bruised and I was set alight” Only to be thrashed back by an angry force; suppressing my fight for her to stay.

“But you came over me like some holy rite” Her existence appeared over me, white and sapphire silk covering the flames that engulfed my aching and crumbling body.

“And although I was burning, you’re the only light” Throughout my life, I knew she was the angel who saved me when I was beaten and left for dead by my sins.

“Only if for a night” I lost the fight as she picked up my burned body and wrapped me in the safety and coolness of her silken rapture.

“And the grass was green against my new clothes” After my body reconciled with my sin and His Greatness, she carried me to her old house among the meadows; the grass beautifully woven against my dress as we moved toward greater pastures together.

 

 

“And I did cartwheels in your honor” I praised her presence and danced in the light of my awakening.

“Dancing on tiptoes” I circled around her; my everything.

“My own secret ceremonials” I felt afloat as my feet glided against the grace of the green grass and conjuring of my newfound judgment.

“Madam, my dear, my darling” My nana, my love, my grandmother.

“Tell me what all this sighing’s about” Why are you sad, grandmother?

“Tell me what all this sighing’s about” You’re sad because I have to go back now, aren’t you?

“And I heard your voice as clear as day” Don’t worry nana, I will listen from now on.

“And you told me I should concentrate” I kneeled and nodded as I held onto the last moments I had with her.

 “It was all so strange” She faded into the fires against the sky which brought us to this place of peace.

“And so surreal” I knew she wouldn’t be back this time.

“That a ghost should be so practical” My grandmother always knew how to make a point.

“Only if for a night” Even if it meant ripping me away from my dreams into a realm of furious serenity.

 

You can visit the following link for a live performance of this song:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKTfugNaQpk

That's it for me!  What are your goals for October?  And what is it about this month you love the most?