Jan 24, 2015 Original Poetry

Snow Fall
©January 24th, 2015
By Vijaya Sundaram

White drifts down,
A reminder that
The world will be renewed.
And that hills and trees,
Stripped of color
Are still beautiful.
And this white and brown
And black world, so gentle
So muted, so tender
Obscures the memory of
A harsher place waiting outside
The edges of window frames.

Suit up and take
My Eager Doggess for a walk.
And now, these are my reality:
A snuffly nose,
A waggling tail,
A smiling dog —
Forget all else, just
Skid and slip
On sidewalks down steep
Slopes in my up-and-down
Neighborhood, shaped
By an erratic earth epochs ago.

And think of fifty-year old bones
Breaking and cracking on
Empty streets, dragged
Down by dog in haste,
Yell to her urgently: Slow down!
She does, befuddled.

Turn resolutely back,
Find a safer, straighter,
Quicker way home.
No broken bones,
No bruises or bumps.
Strangely, after all is over,
Reflect, drinking hot tea, that
Moments of sheer terror
Carry their own pleasure.

But don’t risk all for it.
Do not fall.
Falling is for the young.
There is a slight pang,
The memory of a deep gong within me.
Shrug, move on,
Falling is for the young, I say firmly.

Look out my windows,
Glad to be home.
Let my gaze caress the sky,
And the earth hums
With quiet satisfaction,
While she laps at her water
Noisy, unselfconscious.

It’s good to be still vertical
In a snow-veiled world.

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Tags: #Original Poetry by Vijaya Sundaram, #Winter, 2015, Chronicles of Holly, Snowfall, Walk with dog

Jan 1, 2015 Awake in Real Time: Coffee-induced Meditations and Journal Entries

After a late morning, with Warren’s excellent fritters with Vermont maple syrup for breakfast, we went walking in the Fells en famille. Reached the top of the hill, wandered over into a rocky wooded area, and lay on the rocks, looking up at a powdery blue sky, which poured down sunshine. Holly gambolled about on the rocks, and crashed through bushes and small trees, returning to us in glee. S and Holly skidded about on a tiny frozen over pool of water, while Holly tried eating the ice. Home later, and a nice rest. Then, pasta and veggies. S read a book, while W and I watched Gravity. Good movie. Now, in the gentle silence of the night, I hear the thudding sounds of Holly chasing after a ball that W is throwing. This dog needs CONSTANT entertainment.

Tags: 2015, Chronicles of Holly, walk in the woods with family