quod me nutrit me destruit

rainbows

I remember standing at the lookout point on top of Table Mountain in South Africa, peering over the edge and over the safety railings. It was a sunny day, but there were snatches of tiny wispy clouds pooling just below my feet, disguising the steep drop down the mountain.

Among sparse vegetation and clouds were tiny rainbows, at least three or four of them, forming bridges between the clouds. They weren't full arcs, more like slices of pie but they held my full attention as I stared at so many rainbows popping up among white fluffy clouds.

"In the old days, mountaineers used to throw themselves into the clouds and rainbows" my father spoke from behind me.

"why?" I turned around.

"Because up here, there's less oxygen, and it can cause a drunken effect. They were so enthralled with the clouds and rainbows they thought they were in paradise and threw themselves off because it was so beautiful."

I laughed. My dad, the source of random information.

I remember my facination with clouds soon evaporated as quickly as fog when I discovered fogs were clouds, technically intangible in the way I'd imagined it.

but rainbows.

I remember stories about pots of gold and leprechauns, and it facinated me even when I used to chase after them as a child, how they would disappear, or seem to receede from where I thought it was, like how the moon always followed me.

I remember Judy Garland singing about bluebirds and rainbows, and when I saw my first full arc in Australia one rainy day, I was transfixed for minutes, staring at the full rainbow in the distance.

When a faint second arc started to appear, I was so amused I wanted to take a picture.

***

Yesterday was a rainy day, full of wind and rain and grey sky. I love my rain, my cold winds, and I take comfort that the clouds hang so many thousand metres closer to the ground, hang so low I want to reach out and touch it.

But in that nervous knot within my tummy, I wasn't in the mood for watching raindrops on the taxi window.

But as the taxi took a turn towards the Fitzroy Gardens, I saw a full, bright rainbow materialise above me. It was enormous, and it was a complete rainbow stretching above my head, so close I had to tilt my head to see the highest point.

So big and bright I could count all seven bands of the rainbow.

Violet indigo blue green yellow orange red. I could even see how indigo and blue seemed to blend, as did orange and red.

It was the first time I'd seen one so close, so bright and so huge. and I realised how grey the day was, when there was technicolour. Like spot-colouring.

and weirdly enough, I felt lighter, happier, as the rainbow followed me all the way up Bridge Road before dropping me off just before we turned into the driveway, waving its goodbye in its fading arc, till only one leg was still seen.

posted by sway @ 10:36 AM