All Good

All Good
©December 20th, 2019
By Vijaya Sundaram

 Voices ring out like bells, like birdsong, like soap-flakes
 Coming down from a vaulted ceiling,
 Warmer than snow, goofier than the elements,
 Make-believe that delights.
 And, for a moment, in a crowded hall,
 All are one, and in oneness, we are released.

 In exultation, in lifted voices, in lines,
 With clasped hands, spotlit smiles, we sing,
 And triumph over the mundane tiredness
 Sloshing around my ankles
 Like a tide going out.

 And as the reverberation fades away,
 And the people return to themselves,
 Donning coats and hats, the tide 
 Flows back in in a vaulting wave,
 And I balance myself, refusing
 To be upended.

 Auto-pilot hands on steering wheel,
 Inconsequential, fun conversation with daughter,
 Mind on tomorrow's checklist,
 And a craving for hot, spicy food,
 These form my going-home mode, 
 As the wave engulfs me.

 This is good, all good.
 Home awaits, and I can relax my cheeks
 Exhausted from smiling on stage,
 And let gravity take hold,
 As I untense my muscles, eat some food,
 Laugh, chat with my family,
 Feed the dog her favorite snacks,
 And turn to that most mundane chore:
 The dishes!
 The dishes that await me, so tender and true!
 Here I come, I mutter.  Just one more thing,
 One more task awaits, warm and sudsy,
 And then, Night will float me away.
 I have nothing deep here, nothing profound.
 It's all mundane.  All good.
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