Ricci Schwarzler - Moving

I watched as my old Aunt tottered across the living room.

‘Do you want me to get it?’

‘No, no, I’m fine.’

‘Mmm.’

I’m not so sure, I thought to myself.

I watched as my old mum tottered around the local grocers.

‘Do you want any help?’

‘No, no, I’m fine.’

‘Mmmm.’

I’m not so sure, I thought to myself.

The movements become slower, stiffer, more weary, cautious, and incredibly slow.

I wistfully watch out the window and consider the movements of time across our lives, or is it our lives across time?

The crows fly by in the dark grey sky. I watch their movement across the nano-second of time.  They’re incongruous. Well not really I just wanted to use the word!

But they are indifferent to time. Or are they?

One crow looks at the other… ‘Did you see her?’

‘Yep.’

‘I often wonder about her movement across time.’

‘Yeah me too.’

‘She seems so congruent sitting there in her house, staring out at us.’

‘Yeah I don’t think humans should leave their houses at all. I mean they’re on earth far longer than us but they are moving at such a fast pace. They’d be better to never leave their houses and stop speeding up the rotation of the earth with their rushing hither and yon.’

‘Yes Barry you’re absolutely correct. OK next stop the ski fields.’

I watch my aunt tottering across the lounge room. Like an old antelope she moves past our cat. In an instant the cat springs from a lying position to latch herself on my old aunt’s leg. Claws out, blood streaming.

‘I love it when the old aunt comes to visit. She’s such an easy prey. Just like an old antelope. I don’t have to over-exert myself too much. It’s just a matter of when I decide to make my move.’

‘Oh Aunty June are you OK?’ I jump up to help.

Even her reaction moved in slow-mo.

‘Yes, yes I’m fine. I’ll just go to the bathroom to stem the bleeding.’

She emerges some ten minutes later with a rather large array of band aids on her legs, adding to the other large collection from the previous day’s hunting episode.

As we edge closer to our end, we have been moving through a life, other people’s lives, space, time, earthly changes and the amazement of our planet as it moves through space on the back of the giant turtle A’tun, held up by four giant elephants. What a way to move.