My Random Musings

November 13: Marya at Lafayette Grill

maryadance — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 01:24:54 GMT

Greetings and salutations, I'm pleased to announce that I will be joining forces with Tessarita and several other Long Island dance divas at the very culturally rich Lafayette Grill. We will be presenting a variety of performances ranging from flamenco to bellydance and everything in between. Since the event takes place so close to Thanksgiving, we will be making a contribution of the proceeds to the Long Island Cares food drive. There will also be plenty of time for open floor dancing and lots of surprises. Please join us for an evening of festivities and I hope to see you there! PLACE: Lafayette Grill & Bar 54 Franklin St. New York, NY 10013 (bet. Broadway & Lafayette) TIME: 7:30P - 11:00P COVER: $5 (plus $15 food/drink minimum)

New Year's Eve 2008 Photo Pool

maryadance — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 20:16:26 GMT

Greetings and salutations, Now that last year has faded away into our memories and left us all with a ton of pictures to weed through, I think it would be nice to have everyone pool together their pictures from New Year's Eve. Those of us who either were too busy having a good time or forgot to bring cameras along to the festivities shouldn't be left out of the loop. That said, I have several of my own pictures to share with all of you and as always comments are welcome. For those who need another reason to smile, this means you. Cheers!

Summerland: Home of My Loved Ones Passed On

maryadance — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 21:51:40 GMT

As I looked up at the Full Moon and fell under Her magickal spell, I welcomed the familiar calm that envelops me when I enter the trance. As my eyes focused dreamily on the silvery orb, my eyelids began to grow heavy and blurred my vision so that the light was all that I saw, not the darkness surrounding it. It was then that I found the gate to The Summerland, the place where all good people and animals go when they've completed their earthly missions. It's not any of the myriad forms of "heaven" that I learned about in the Bible... or the Torah... or the Quran... or the Vedas... or any other holy book known to humanity. No, this place was more than the afterlife promised to anyone who spent their entire existence praying to a deity to deliver them of their earthly suffering. The Summerland is a beautiful place full of orchards and fields and gardens that provide for the needs of all its inhabitants. The water is pure and sustains all the life that depends on it. The grass and trees are eternally verdant with a green so brilliant that our earthly eyes cannot perceive it. Although I knew the gatekeeper would not let me pass until my time comes, I was allowed to stand at the threshold and wave to everyone I had loved here on earth. To my left at about half the distance between myself and the front of a small hill, stood a large plantation house with a large wraparound porch where my grandparents (biological and adopted) Victoria, José, Juanita, Junito, and America... all sat at a small table discussing politics over a game of dominoes and sipped coffee between their jubilant shouts of victory. In the front yard were the friends who passed on much too young. My best friend of 20 years, Jessica passing the time cradling her firstborn Amanda before the rest of her children join her someday. PJ, the boy turned man I adored since infancy and had hoped to marry someday turned away from the car he was waxing long enough to wave. As he turned back, I heard a familiar sound approaching from behind the far corner of the house. Before I knew what the sound was, I recognized immediately who was responsible for it... of course, it could be none other than Bobby cruising by on his bike covered in snow from the pompom on his hat to the sneakers on his feet. He stopped for a moment to bring some sweets to Jessie before he took off as Scruffy chased him all the way back to wherever it was they happened to find snow. A light breeze caught hold of the sheets drying on the line where my various bird friends sat. Hooey (the parrot), Vici, RJ, Tweety (the cockatiels), Figaro, Sunnie, Sweetpea (the lovebirds), and Tulip (the sparrow)... all of them twittering and complacent as some of my cats chased the shadows cast by the white bedlinens. Pumpkin calmly lays on the lawn and watches the ants crawling in and around her food dish while Daisy sits indoors watching the world go by as she sits in her basket by the front window. Ginger is sprawled out on the stoop with one paw dangling over the edge as the warm sunlight filters through the trees towering overhead and dappling her tortoiseshell-coloured fur with bits of gold. I heard the bells tolling the hour and I knew it was time for me to return to my plane of existence. The gatekeeper pressed a kiss to my forehead and gave a wink before sending me on my way. I blinked and suddenly everything was as it was before, just me standing alone on the rooftop looking at The Moon. I went to sleep, comforted by the sight that so few on this earth have been priviledged to behold.

Lifting the Veil: An Original Short Story by Mary Ann Giordano

maryadance — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 21:48:53 GMT

Waking in a panic from the murky depths of sleep, I find myself gasping for air and shivering as the cold sweat makes the thin turquoise silk sheath cling stubbornly against my skin. The room is dark, save for the light of the last dying ember amidst the pile of incense ashes in one corner. I look to my left and see that Salahadin is still very much sound asleep. I run quietly through the palace to the central courtyard leading away from the harem, careful not to disturb the peaceful slumber of the numerous concubines while I step over them as I make my way to the main gate. They are still drunk and the air is heavily laden with the lingering intoxicatingly sweet smell of opium smoke. I should be grateful, I suppose. It pains me to leave the sultan's bedside, but how long would it have been before his other wives would continue to plot against me? They no longer smiled at me and instead I saw the anger burning cold inside their stinging eyes. I heard their laughter suddenly turn into angry whispers whenever Salahadin would call for me to entertain him every evening for weeks on end. The days of early spring had brought torrential rains and the sultan had become enchanted when he saw me as I ran from the orchard, where I had been picking some ripened mangoes from a low-hanging branch that had caught my attention early one afternoon. I remember how I froze and trembled like a frightened animal as he stood in the doorway. I remember the way my cheeks burn with embarassment as his eyes surveyed my disheveled appearance. I remember staring nervously at the ground, knowing that the white silk robe I wore was soaked through and therefore rendered useless against shielding my figure from his smoldering gaze. "Forgive me, sultan. I... I was going to bring you some fruit from the orchards, but the weather...", my voice had trailed off and I was relieved to hear his laugh when he wrapped his heavy mantle around me before he carried me indoors. Before that day, I'd only heard about the sultan's bedchambre through the tall tales the other wives and concubines would tell about their romps with him when we all lounged in the harem, wondering which one of us he would send for that evening. However, I find myself running away from them under the cover of darkness; fearing retaliation from the women who once befriended me, but turned against me when they realized why the sultan had grown so fond of me as of late. My once flat abdomen had begun to protrude like a melon hidden beneath my robes and it was not long before the other women realized their luxurious lifestyle would be jeopardized if I bore the sultan a son. We all knew whichever one of us succeeded would become his queen and would spend hours on end each day wondering who among us would be so fortunate. His older wives had only given him daughters, all of whom he adored. As I found my way toward the stable in the darkness, I found my favorite white Arabian stallion, Salih. He whinnied softly as I led him down the hillside toward the deserted bazaar where he knelt as I climbed onto his back with nothing more than a blanket for a saddle. I patted his soft flank and he started to canter down to the crossroad where the silk and the spice trade routes meet. The pre-dawn air still felt chilly against my face as we ran blindly toward a destination that still had yet to manifest itself in my mind. I knew it would be a long way to Greece, but I would be just as happy anywhere as long as I never had to contend with every single one of those spiteful hags ever again. We continued to ride through the desert until the sun was high overhead. My skin began to sting and I pulled my shawl over my heavy dark hair to shield it from the offending rays. We had come upon the outskirts of a small town and I suddenly realized how thirsty I was. As we approached the small cluster of women and playing children near the well, they quickly gave up their need to retreat as they saw that I was not a threat to them in my present condition. They came closer and their eyes sparkled with curiosity as they brought me to a house within the town where Salih and I were offered food and water. The owners of the house were a pleasant elderly couple who had a houseful of happy frolicking grandchildren despite the little money they had. They asked where I was traveling to and were puzzled by my answer when I'd said I was headed to Greece. They laughed and wondered if I had lost my way to the palace since it appeared as though I were dressed for a wedding. I quickly shook my head and said nothing more than to ask to stay until sunrise before I continued my journey. They readily agreed and the children ran through the house squealing with delight. My hunger and thirst had been sated and I needed to rest badly. I was led toward a modest little room on the opposite side of the house and felt the tension melting away as I sank into the pile of cushions covering the divan. I smiled weakly as the lamps were extinguished and everyone else began to settle down for the night. It wasn't long after I had fallen asleep when I felt the first pains of labour sending a dull ache into my back. I began to cry as I lay still and prayed that the pain would stop, but it would not. My thoughts raced as I began to panic once more and my cries beginning to cut through the silence of the room as the pain grew more intense. The elderly lady had kept close watch as I tossed and turned restlessly while I slept and I was grateful for her presence as my son took his first breath. I wept openly as I held him in my arms and saw his father's pensive dark eyes looking back at me. I cried until I had run out of tears. It was then that we heard voices coming from outside the front door. She mussed up her hair and pretended she had been asleep as she went to see who would be traveling at this hour of night. At first I couldn't hear anything and as I leaned closer to the door, I heard a familiar male voice -- Salahadin. His voice was sad as he told the family what had happened and asked if they had seen me passing through. He sounded genuinely frightened and it tortured my ears to hear that the other women of the harem had met their fate by poisoning themselves with the wine I refused to drink. I paced nervously in the dark and wondered if I should let him see for himself that I was unharmed. As if they had read my thoughts at that moment, I heard them approaching my hiding place and I held the newborn tightly in my arms... uncertain of my own fate. My back was turned toward the door when I heard it open, "Amira, you have a visitor," she announced. I nodded silently and waited for the verbal thrashing I was sure to receive, but instead he came around to face me and as he lifted the veil from my face, his eyes sparkled with tears of joy as he beheld the sleeping infant in my arms. "Why did you leave me, Flower?", was all the sultan had managed to say as he lightly kissed my forehead and I caught the faint scent of sandalwood and the sweet smell of shisha tobacco embedded in his heavy silken robes. My silence spoke volumes now as all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.