Sunday 21 April 2013

Real Talk: Fiddler on the Roof

A view from my roof.
Don't worry, you dirty minded few; the title of this post is not a double entendre regarding moments of erotic self-entertainment on a Greek rooftop. It is simply referring to how I enjoy spending the majority of my free time on my roof playing guitar and writing songs in the sun.

The only thing I can really see from my roof is other rooftops and array of balconies. There is something strangely soothing about looking into the distance; all of these towering houses built into the mountains lining the irregular serpentine streets, leaving the houses at irregular angles and seeming randomly placed. A lot of the balconies are beautifully decorated and, stangely enough, it is nice just to sit their watching, making a few shapes on my instrument, and creating a soundtrack over the lives of people pegging out their washing or maintaining their railings.

One particularly blustery day, I stalked on as a middle aged woman hung out some of her washing over a sedated rendition of 'Wonderful Tonight' by Eric Clapton. She packed her washing line with careful intricacy as, in my eyes, she had overburdened the line. Low and behold, the line snapped and her washing, flapped violently in the wind and cascaded down three storeys like falling leaves, landing on balconies and the street below. I just watched. I don't think there was much I could do as I had no idea where this house was. Feeling bad I turned my attention away from this spectacle wishing for the best outcome for this poor woman. On this day, I lost just a little bit more of my humanity. Another day, another squalor.

4 comments:

  1. Spending time on the rooftop, for me, is quite liberating. You can see a whole new perspective when you're looking from a different view. Plus, roof tops are very serene. My room has an access to the rooftop, so every time I want to have some alone time, I usually go to the roof, lie down, and think. I can say that it's the best place of our house! Bryon Sedillo

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  2. It's such a nice way to kill time on the rooftop playing guitar and writing songs. Anyhow, I also spend most of my time gardening on our rooftop. Though it gave my husband an extra job of checking our roof and ceiling for any leaks since I water my plants regularly. Otherwise, I would be soaking wet in my bed as my bedroom is right below where my husband built my little greenhouse.

    Elizabeth Hoffnung

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  3. Sorry for the late reply. It is exam period for my students and I feel as though I am sitting the exams with them.

    I am glad you have a similar privilege as I have. It's easily my favourite time in the day; not always productive, but when I come up with a simple chord sequence or a vocal line I am happy for days.

    The feeling is intensified by the fact that I am living in a country that actually has a decent amount of sunshine and flat roofs you can access. Truly blessed.

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  4. Standing on top of the roof makes me feel free. My family and I used to spend time on our roof every night gazing at the stars and talking to each other.
    - Soo Eaton

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