washing clouds

Washing clouds

Heavy with hopes
Hung out to dry

Where have you been?

Wild wind whispers

Spits in my face

Cement sand

Little boy yells

Tea tomorrow?

Blackbirds fall

Oysters roast

Juvenile eagle watches.

Peas, beets and picked ginger

Beets and Pickled Ginger

After two days of her self- imposed  diet, Princess Oishi was suffering quite a severe withdrawal for her wasabi fixation. Her tongue had a cramp from licking her lips  in vain,  for salt and spice. Her eye had a slight twitch, and her breathing was more like little sighs of frustration.  She did however notice- to her vindication, that her cheeks were on the pinker side of green. Her tongue, when she checked it out in the mirror, was almost red ( from the borsht she had just consumed), and her hands were rather more ivory than chartreuse. She clapped them together in satisfaction and  went to see her father.


The king was in his throne room, pacing and wringing his hands.  Oishi entered the room, and he looked at her with surprise. "Oishi, you look almost normal! I mean, how lovely to see you my dear. "Oishi smiled. This was surprising .  She was more often scowling at her father than smiling. He wondered suspiciously what she was up to. Then scolded himself for assuming the worst. "I have decided" Oishi announced," That I will see that rude prince again. Just to see what he has brought to offer me. "

The King started wringing his hands again anxiously. He told her that the prince was not to be found. Apparently, after he had left the castle he had walked straight back to his ship and sailed away. Princess Oishi was quite devastated. She left her fathers throne room and actually went for a walk around the palace grounds . The princess had not gone for a walk in over 3 years. She merely stomped  or glided from place to place (Depending on her mood- which fluctuated often)


As the Princess walked the  grounds, so the Price Paced the decks of his faithful ship.  He cursed the Princess for being a rude and spoiled brat and muttered phrases of various levels of rottenness in multiple languages under his breath. He sailed his ship away in a northerly direction, and he drank some tar porter that he had imported from Finland the winter before.  

As he sailed, he thought about his kingdom, and how destitute it was. He thought about how his people were expecting him to bring back a lovely wife and a fortune as well. He thought about how much money he needed in order to invest in a new egg salting factory. He also thought, and he cursed even louder when he thought these thoughts about the lovely green tinge of the princesses ankles as she had descended the starers, her skirts swishing around them. He thought, and he sighed as he thought, of the delicate sea foam of the princesses throat, as she had come closer to him. And most of all he thought about the glorious  emerald green of her eyes as they had snapped angrily at him.
As he lay in his hammock that night, (like a true pirate), Prince  Theo (short for Theo Herculanis Tritonerus Rex) sighed and grumbled. He tossed and he turned. He could not get Princess Oishi's emerald eyes out of his head.

As the red orange sun rose, out of the crashing waves, Prince Theo rose creakily from his hammock, (for they are not that comfortable. )He made some strong sumatran coffee, and swung the ship around . Behind him, a wind began to whisper.

Princess Oishi part 3-

Princess Oishi descended the staircase, her  gown trailing behind her.
She looked very beautiful, in the soft afternoon light.

Suddenly, the Prince's bravado disappeared and he felt the soles of his feet go clammy.
(His family had a history of bad circulation) Nervously, he began tossing the egg from hand to hand.
At the bottom of the staircase, Oshi paused for effect, and demanded imperiously to know what the prince had brought her. The Prince was a little taken aback at her tone, and blinked as he took a better look at her. Her father introduced them, formally.  Prince Theo , from  across the Ibernian sea : My Daughter, the Princess Oishi Desmodia Fionnella

Princess Oishi  smiled as she raised one delicate eyebrow  and curtsied, ever so slightly. 
The prince at this moment noticed that her skin had a slight green tinge to it. He asked her if she was feeling ok. He said he thought she looked a little green around the gills. Insulted, Oshi asked if he was comparing  her to a scaly fish!  No, he hurriedly said, he  was quite familiar with Mal de Mer and was merely concerned for her health. Princess Oishi's cheeks grew quite pink with this and her eyes snapped with a dangerous glint. "GET OUT" She whispered, and with that , she turned and fled the room.

"Her skin is a bit green from the wasabi peas" explained her father.  She  is a little touchy about it."
"Oops"said the prince. 

Then he got up and left the castle, his egg  still carefully wrapped in its protective scarf.

"Wait"  called the king.
Come back in three days.
"Perhaps",  said Prince Theo.

Princess Oishi ran right to her tower and threw herself down on her bed. She sobbed for two hours and then ate a pound of wasabi peas. Then she had a bath in goats milk. This was supposed to lighten her skin.  "HOW dare he insult me" she whispered.  

The next morning,  she went to the kitchen and ordered a carrot cake.
The staff  were astounded. They had been trying  to  get Princess Oishi to eat something other than wasabi peas for weeks to no avail. The asked her if she wanted some peas on the side. NO she declared. I'm off peas. Only Carrots, Beets and Pickled ginger for me today.

Princess oishi and the hundred year old egg cotinued.

As the princess perused her extensive wardrobe, she fantasized about pirates and gold hoop earrings and rough waves on the ocean. She thought about how nice it would be to wake up everyday and to be in a new place. She thought about how soothing and yet exhilarating and frightening the sound of the crashing waves against the pirate ship would be. She tried on a dashing red dress with pearls encrusted on the hem. Then she looked in the mirror and decided that it did nothing against her greenish complexion. She remembered that it used to be her very favorite dress... and she wondered if perhaps, if she ate less wasabi peas, her skin might go back to its original rosy hue. Princess Oishi sighed, and tried on a purple velvet concoction with mother of pearl chunks around the neckline. This color made her look rather dead she thought... Why oh why did she care what this tattered pirate thought of her anyway she wondered suddenly. It was doubtful that the treat he brought for her would measure up to her beloved wasabi peas... And besides, he was poorly dressed and rather shabby looking anyway. She tried on a white fluffy dress that looked liked the clouds on a sunny day. This was a little better, but too poofy she thought. And she still looked a little green. At this point below, in the kings hall, the king was explaining to the hopeful prince, that the princess was quite bad tempered and that basically, he didn't stand a chance.
The prince just smiled calmly and told him that he had been around difficult women before.
The king tried to get a glimpse of the red hundred year old egg, but the prince kept it firmly in his hand and covered lightly with a scarf.
After a few hours, the king had told the prince everything about everything twice, and the prince had almost fallen asleep and dropped his egg 3 times. The princess had tried on all of her 6 hundred and 52 dresses and had her hair braided, curled straightened and then brushed. Finally, she was ready. By this time she was quite exhausted, and as she hadn't had time to eat anything for sometime and had got her blood moving with all the  trying on of dresses, her cheeks had almost a slight peachy glow to them. Through the greenish tinge of course this was still a rather odd color for cheeks, but better than the usual straight green.

Princess Oishi and the hundred year old egg

Once upon a time, there was a princess who really liked to eat spicy snacks.Her name was princess Oishi, and she had tried every kind of salty and spicy snack there was. Her very favorite were wasabi peas.
She ate so many of these spicy little snacks that her face took on a permanent green tinge and her eyes would not stop watering.
Despite this, the princess was still very beautiful and suitors came from across the lands to woo and tempt her.
As Princes Oishi was quite particular about men, and also spicy snacks, there was not much success for the suitors.
The princesse's father, was getting worried that his fussy daughter would never be satisfied by any man. He was also worried that she would eventually turn so green that even her royal title would not draw suitors anymore. After all, not everyone is a fan of green skin.

One day, a prince arrived from across the ocean. He had sailed for a year and ten days and he had brought just one gift to woo the princess. Everyone laughed at him when they saw him approach, for although he was a prince, he was alone, his clothes were tattered, and he carried in his hand just one red, slightly dirty egg.
Princess Oishi looked out of her tower (All princesses must have a tower). She looked out of her tower and she saw her scruffy looking suitor walking up to the castle. She heard the people laughing and snickering at him. She thought he looked a little like a pirate. She wondered if he had brought her treasure, or doubloons, or a parrot. The she saw that he was holding something. her eye dripped one spicy tear of anticipation and she went off to find something suitable to wear.
Meanwhile, the prince was having an audience with the king. He was explaining to the king that he was actually very poor. And all that was left of his home was this 100 year old egg. This is what he had brought for the princess. (to be continued)