A Prelude (To December) Poem by Vinaya Joseph

With November
Slowly slipping away,
And December making its way,
Strangely I felt,
Just like these months,
I was at a weird,
Yet wonderful juncture
In my life

Early morning,
I climbed the narrow wooden staircase,
Leading to the verandah,
Into my secret world,
Of silence and tranquility…

Here I was like a guest,
To be greeted by the sun,
Who was at its forgiving best...
That covered the winter with its warmth,
Even the clouds did not bother to stay back,
And respected my right to privacy,
They were like wanderers,
This moment here,
Next moment there…
Drifting from one end to the other,
Of the horizon,
You may call them nomads,
As they come and go,
When they please,
Like politicians,
They promise
But fail to deliver…
Always threatening to pour,
Will they or won't they?
Hard to answer,
Leaving lesser souls like me,
At the mercy
Of our imaginations…

And the wind,
Who was yet to begin its day...
Thank God,
Didn't put its strength on display
I was in the safe company of my trees,
Tall mahoganys, broad-leafed teaks, coniferous casuarinas
My humble jackfruit, huge breadfruit
Straight arecas and multi-purpose coconuts
Who were glowing bright,
In the warm sunlight

Then the silence of the morning,
Was broken by the ceaseless tweeting of the birds,
The rooster led the band,
Followed by the crow,
And numerous little birdies,
That flew high above
And rested on the boughs
Of my swinging trees…

Call it the play of tides,
Or the moon's pull,
My backyard was buried,
In salt water,
And the soil was completely wringing wet,
With no more to hold in its chest

Early morning,
In between all these thoughts,
I was also intoxicated
With the strong smell of tobacco,
That lingered in the verandah…
Appachan had filled his lungs,
With his daily dose of smoke pills


Some say,
Old habits die hard
While I say,
Some vices hang about,
And you need to let go,
At times you go stiff with age,
Dad it's hard to give up,
But you only taught me
That if need be,
You must embrace change,
Just like the changing months…