Patio Dreaming

When I arrived home from work, I sat outside on the patio in my lounge chair, & this afternoon's sultry, sweet-cool breezes lulled me oh so slowly into a gorgeous dream. I walked on a beach, a redheaded girl but in my dream I possessed long loose curls [like Lolita Davidovich in the movie Intersection]. I strolled this deserted & quiet beach lit with autumn sun, then I sat cross-legged just where the rolling waves stopped, up on the sand. I leaned back on my arms, and not very much later, two sand pipers sidled over to me, cocking their heads and looking me over. They flapped their wings and clearly it was a greeting. I extended my finger to one of them without expectation, but it hopped aboard and allowed me to lift it to my eye level. We studied one another -- I grinned and grinned, talking to it in French, 'Ooh, la la, Petite Oiseau, qu'est-ce qui ce passe?' [Oh, little bird, what's going on?] Very soon the second bird joined it, perching on my arm then moseying upward until it was in the curve of my neck and shoulder, where it began to preen one of my long strands of a curl. The first bird watched, but not for long -- it took up position next to its mate and together they dipped their beaks into my hair, then str-eee-eeetch---ed their necks to preen its length. I grew ticklish and giggled, and they fluttered down behind me, where my hair puddled onto the sand. I felt them pulling their beaks through the ends of my hair, and began to playfully lift my hair from my neck and shake it over them. A man stood up on a dune, at first just watching, but then he drew out a video camera ... later in the dream, he showed the film to me, and when I had been raining my hair over the sand pipers, they outstretched their wings and danced in & under my red curls, their wings and my hair backlit by sunlight. God! It was so beautiful! I finally grew uncomfortable, sitting in one position, so I lay on my stomach with my head turned to one side and cradled on my arms. The birds hopped onto my back and began to braid and twist and entwine my curls, building a nest! Much later, after they finished their nest, and the three of us had napped, I sat up again and held out my hand. The birds leapt to it, and I began to cry with the surprise gift of [& from my immense astonishment at] their companionship. The man had approached, meanwhile, and caught an astounding shot of both birds with their beaks dipped questionningly in one of the tears just under my eye.

I wish I actually had that photograph.

[All photos from google searches on-line and not my own.]