At Table, With Song
©December 14th, 2018
By Vijaya Sundaram
People sit at table
With long spoons,
And a steaming pot of stew,
And through stories and songs,
They remember an entire history,
Re-cast, and re-membered,
As they build it word by word.
I want the memories of my life
Shared by many around a table,
With long spoons, all humming,
Or singing, in-between spoonfuls.
I want to re-member everything,
And re-order a whole life.
Songs seep through skin,
And settle deep in bones,
Even as things slip away.
I can settle for this, find peace.
And though dissolution is certain,
I’ll go out singing, defiant.
Another will take my place
At the table, and share a pot of stew.
I will be as the air in their lungs,
Just as you were in mine before this.
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