Harold Camping's Family Radio network predicted saturday may 21st at 6 oclock the rapture would begin and the apocalypse would follow the world would come to an end as earthquakes shook the world to pieces. he promised his followers would ascend to heaven if they quit jobs and gave all they owned to him and dedicate their remaining days to spreading the word about the end (presumably so more would join the cause and send him their lifes savings)

thousands quit jobs huddled around open bibles praying in empty apartments surrounded by..nothing.. having given away all that they owned, counting the seconds till the end in a mixture of hope and terror.

nothing happened

except they had to start their lives all over

now we, 40 of us including 4 members of this site, gathered on lemon hill in philly for the philly annual rainbow picnic

from this vantage point we had a view overlooking the city, dominant in this urban landscape stood the peco building topped with its scrolling lights counting down the time along with ominous messages of the coming doom like "save on your next electric bill" "the arts are alive in philly come to the arts fest"

the mood at the picnic was joyful serene calm

the only mentions of the rapture the ocassional jokes about only 2 hours left to live.

we shared stories, food, a toke or 2 and a few huddled around a hookah (maybe much like those huddled around bibles, but far more calm and collected)

the peco clock said 5:36 as i remarked only 24 minutes left to live.

at this point i did think of those huddled in closets and gathered together in fear watching the clock praying for the end.

on our hill we talked of hope re reminisced on miracles we had experienced

we talked of the power of love and possitivity

next time i looked at the clock it read 6:38

a testament to how much we believed in this prophosy

not 1 person noticed the end

the apocolypse came and went in silence

but

just then the sky darkened the wind howled sirens erupted in unison all over the city helicopters raced by low and ominous ..it was late but maybe just maybe finaly some excitement? the earth wasnt shaking but at least a good storm would be nice right? no such luck a few lil drizzles no rainbows no thunder no lightening to smite the wicked..not even a frog falling from the sky no lakes of fire no horsemen of the apocalypse (though a few tourists on segways went by i guess the 4 segways of the apocalypse was the modern equivalent?

i did however think about all those sirens all the noise of the city the hum the beating blades of helicopters all the noise and chaos could make every day feel like the last days

7:00 rolled around

2 more guys showed up

one was making fire starters, the cave man kind

a bow a stick a chunk of wood you use the bow to twirl the stick to cause friction on the wood and start a fire

i thought how appropriate for an apocalypse parts

if the world went up in flames and mankind decends into chaoe

we are ready to hole up in a cave build a comfy fire and watch it all unfold

but in the end the end was nothing but a new begining

for those who had to start over

and for us who simply go on

if anything it was a boring apocalypse

no nude bodies in the sky

oh well always next time

the next apocalypse party..my place say ..hows next saturday for everybody?

better yet

nude skydiving

rapture in reverse