The Beast Within

Every once in a while something or someone comes along that makes you think. It breaks down one of the many walls that you have built within. Not so much to expose some vulnerability you have but rather to allow you to think deeper, to exercise your mind and think freely, beyond the superficiality of what that something or someone means.
I saw a movie last night titled "Beasts of the Southern Wild." This movie did just that for me. It takes you into the lives of a group of people living in the "Bathtub" bayou of Louisiana. They live in abject poverty in a way that no one reading this likely will ever understand (nor wish to). It's main characters are a 6 year old girl named Hushpuppy (the eyes through whom the story is told) and her father named Wink. As the film follows their relationship, how they and others of the "Bathtub" deal with the tragedy that befalls them, and their philosophies on life, you leave the theater evaluating your own, identifying your personal "aurochs".  These are my reflections shared in poetic prose.



The beasts stampede

Full speed ahead

Beneath their hooves

Unrelentlessly

Destroying the ground

That I've planted seeds

Cultivated

Massive in size and effect 

The herd

Went unheard

Unexpectedly approaching

Life. Love. Dance. Dreams

Hoofprints serve

As evidence of

Aurochs past presence

They now return

Fear. Pain. Dismay. Surrender.

Strength having escaped me

Weak, jaded

I lay with ear to the ground

I hear them now

The sound of thunder resonates

From the earth

I hear them now

I rise to my feet

The dust

Caused by the pounding of auroch hooves

Against the earth

Precedes them

Having been blown by the wind

Introducing their swift arrival

I stand

Anticipating the herd

Any moment now

Ready to go

Beasts to beast

By: Ernestine Hayes

The Dancing Old Lady

    As I am recovering from a stomach virus, I figure this is as good a time as any to update my blog since I'm home in bed. Thursday evening signs of having contracted a stomach virus started to show itself. I became so nauseated and from about 9:30 pm, every 45 minutes to an hour I had it coming out of one end or the other. Absolutely disgusting. I was miserable. I was so weak and fatigued mom was considering taking me to the ER because I was dehydrated but I said a prayer and tried to garner the strength to drink as much fluids as I could. I stayed in bed all day Friday. I don't think I've slept that much in my life. I think my dog felt bad for me too. She curled up in the bed next to me and stayed there all night Friday. I love my baby girl Keira! I thankfully feel better now but still am not 100%. I don't wish this on anyone.

No doubt the coolest dog on the planet

    Anyway, I have been pretty busy dancing with Hybrid and NuBreed. This month is full of performances and rehearsals so it was definitely bad timing for me to get sick.  Missing 2 practices makes a huge difference, especially for me since my brain isn't as young as those with whom I dance. Speaking of, I must share a couple of instances with the kids (as I like to call them). One evening I had a couple of the girls riding with me to a performance in AR. As we were talking she asked how old I was and once I told her I was 32 she was surprised I was "that old" and then went on to say that I could be friends with her mom. WOW! Really! Another time I had a car full of the kids one of them went on to say that she hopes that when she gets old she can still dance "you know, like, Ernestine". What?! She immediately started back pedaling. LOL! Both of these were 17 year old teenagers. Gotta love it. I'm glad to know that I am seen as the old lady that can still dance and be friends with their mothers. Hahaha. It could be worse.
 

Everything Fresh for 2012...Happy New Year!

Bringing in 2012 with HPG