Winter Vacation (Poem)

Winter Vacation

Upon our return from
India
We discovered

Not three inches
Not six inches
Not one or two feet
No, it was four and (a) half feet
Yea, it had to be several feet
Of hard crusty snow -
A mix of freezing rain
And frigid snow
Like multilayered chocolate cake
With interspersed frostings
Hard unbreakable icy frostings
But all white in color;
Crystals of pure water

What is the point of 
Studying hydrogen bond 
In a dry lecture hall?
You learn it 
It gets into your bones
Into the sinews
When the age worn
Hands struggle to break
With steel garden pointed shovel
The ice boulders
And wearily lift the heavy
Loads of Crusty Snow

Lord Siva must have smiled
On this devotee
I have to seek pardon
From Ganga mai
For hitting Her hard
With cruel metallic blows

But what could I do
I had to make way
At least for the minivan
Everything got stuck -
No groceries, no milk
No doctor’s visit
Everything frozen, totally standstill
Surrounded by icy walls

In that little space
Call it driveway
Or car park
We’re trapped for almost
Three full days

Yet
I have no hard feelings 
About the celestial downpour
Of pure white angel dust
It is really white pure snow
No acid rain here
Just pure yech-two-o

You can drink it directly
And you can use it
For indoor plants, for misting
Or in the steam iron

In between shoveling
I stood silently
Wondering 
Will this mountain of snow
Ever be finished?
That’s like asking the philosophical 
Question: “Will this mound of 
Accumulated karma ever dissolve away?”

Copyright by the author 2025

 

Beckoning the Snow (Nature Poem)

Beckoning the Snow

 

A dreary day

So I thought, on my way to the park

I always liked to stroll through the woods

Next to the Limestone Creek

There in the fall I would see the

Colorful reflections of the sugar maples

And sweet gum flaming foliage

There in the waters I could see the red roots

Yes even the roots are dark red

 

But today I am late

Now the trees are totally nude

Now these benevolent trees

With luxurious crowns have no castes,

No names, they all coalesced into

One single community: a cluster of gray

Tall standing meditating monks

Except the evergreens

The entire park looked forlorn

There are no children on the swings

Nor any adults in the ballpark

And of course, the irksome pesky mosquitoes

Are absent too

Suddenly the sun shone briefly

Again it all turned cloudy

But the soil under my feet

Whispered a different tale

The earth has been longing

For the arrival of winter snow –

“Now I have discorded all my jewels

And dresses, don’t remind me about

The long tresses of willows

The luxurious silky golden crowns of honey locusts

And the soft pastel colors of sumac tops

Oh, the last colored dress or was it some

Intricate motif designed by the Benarasi silk weavers

I had the most gorgeous sari draped over me

With the cool clear eyes of blue lake looking at

The heavens

I have worked hard over the summer

To provide all my children and grand children

Now I want only your tight heavy embrace

Cover me totally and take me into your cool hands

I am weary with overwork and now I want to lie

Idly, with my own internal thoughts and feelings

Now I have to rejuvenate myself – for my own hidden roots

Lakes and streams

I have to keep all my little children

The rabbits, chipmunks, bears, and beavers

All snug, warm, and dry

Now everyone listen carefully

Be quiet, the lights are out

Rest and sleep happily

You need to conserve energies and food

For the long drawn winter

The fury winds from the North

Will be here any moment

Hide, hurry up, and put on

Insulation, all of you

 

Dear darling, come soon, with glowing symmetrical

Soft snowflakes

When you come, be careful and gentle

There will be a tender dianthus

A late blooming mum

The still green common mullein

And the fresh fronds of spotted fern

Be gentle to them

Also you’ll find glossy smooth mossy patches

On the lime stones and mounds

Do not be rough and tread carelessly

On those bare breasts of mine” Copyright 2021 by the author