The Poetry Marathon

Whether it’s on
A Friday night, after a long work week
Or a Saturday afternoon, post a heavy brunch
Or sometimes, a really free weekday evening

Whether it’s with
The same old gang that always shows up
Or a friend that I haven’t seen in a while
Or just me and mine on a date night

All it takes is
A few text messages
A few drinks and snacks
Some great background music
And of course, the library of games

Somedays, we go back to the time of war
Strategizing quickly on a chessboard
Or picking up Risk, building fleets and launching attacks

Somedays, it’s about finding the enemy
The werewolf, Mordred, or Mafia lurking among us

Somedays, it’s all of us against a common enemy
Preventing a global pandemic or zombies from relentless conquest

And somedays it’s just pure card games
Probability, partnerships, sequences, and a fair bit of luck

Sometimes it’s collegial, sometimes more heated
But there’s never anything a second game cannot fix
So I wait till the next time the opportunity presents
And I know I’ll be the first to jump

A warmth fills my heart
Lilting sounds all around me
Bubbles of pure joy

We’re surrounded by a blast of color and sound
A flurry of lehengas and sherwanis of every hue
The fast paced drum, drum, drum of the dhol
Perfect flower arrangements, our favorites, lilacs and roses
The clinking of wine glasses, the accompanying laughter
All our loved ones, and more, gathered in a single place

But my eyes are fixated on one, and only one person
The man in front of me
Who looks dapper in his tux, but is eternally handsome
Inside and out

I look at you, and I remember
The first dates in a Bay Area winter
The long walks in the San Francisco summer fog
The trips to Houston, and Carmel, and Vegas
Wine tasting in Paso, quarantining in Cupertino
And the lazy days, well most of all, the lazy days
When we would do nothing
Curl up on the couch, watch some casual YouTube
Just exist.

As we finish up the last of the wedding nuptials
I look back fondly on a weekend of fun
Today will be a lovely memory
But it’s what comes tomorrow on that excites me the most

The morning of a flight, its sandwich time
The grill is hot, and the staples are out
Sourdough bread, pesto, your meat of choice
Veggies if you fancy
And of course, goat cheese

We sit there, taking turns with the grill
Slicing, loading, closing, grilling
The sound of sizzling cheese fills the air
So simple, yet so delicious
The flight daunting each of us this very morning
Now has something we can look forward to

Holidays always excited us
With their potential of discovery, enjoyment, memories
But it wasn’t just the big sights that enriched our lives
It was also the little things, the simple acts
Teaching us to cherish the destination, and the journey

You
I

Together in this world
Facing all the goods
And all the bads

I
Can’t

Imagine any other way
That I could live my life

For
You and

I
We may sometimes fight or drift
But we always find our way back to each other, our forever home

For neither of us is perfect, me least of all
But together, we will always be just right

They file into an auditorium, a sea of black
Chattering lightly, but not too much
A solemn excitement in the air

School insignia adorns the walls
On the stage, many of their mentors stand
Teachers of yesterday; today, just here to celebrate

The orchestra begins, a tune they’ve heard
Several times since they first entered these doors
The tune is the same, but so much else has changed

Standing at the threshold of child and adult
They look forward with nervousness and anxiety
But then they look back, and smile at how far they have come

As they take their diplomas, their handshakes are firm
It’s the end of an era, but the beginning of summer
Of several more summers, new phases of life

They changed once, they will change again
Growing stronger, standing taller, with each turn

In my life, I never had the words to say
Everything I wanted to say to you
How I loved our runs in the park
Or around the giant table at home
And all the yummy food after – beef burger and spiced chicken
How I loved our mornings together
When I climbed in your bed and you snuggled me
How much I loved you
How much it made me happy when all of us were together as a big happy family

Some memories, maybe not so great
The squirrels and rabbits in the backyard, always ruining Dad’s grass
The noisy annoying neighbor who always broke my afternoon snooze
The times when you would leave and I would be home
Waiting, hoping, you would be back someday
And of course, the last days, of pain, and fear, and the unknown
But I want you to know that despite all that
None of this could ever get rid of
The immense joy and love and care you and everyone else gave me

While here in your world, I said this how I could
A woof. A lick. A roll on my back.
And I want you to know that it’s because you made me feel
Safe.
Joyful.
Loved.

Now on the other side, I miss you a lot
But it’s different – more nostalgia, less anticipation
I am at peace
And while I know that you will probably miss me
Just know that you do not need to worry about me
I’m happy as long as you are happy and loved
It’s all I ever wanted in my life
Just stay that way, and I’ll eternally smile and wag my tail
Watching over you from above

A warm breezy summer day, but we’re stuck inside
Finishing up something or the other at work
Sitting in our home office, getting antsier by the hour
At 3pm we exchange a glance
Should we? Should we not?
I nibble on my nail, he says don’t
We know it’s time to move
Work can wait, this can’t

We begin to pack a satchel, with nervous anticipation
Wine, wine glass, cheddar cheese, Takis
A hardback book for him
Knitting tools for me
A blanket and some cushions
And we’re ready to move

A warm breezy summer day, we’re now outside
The car roof down, hair flying in the breeze
Pink Floyd and The Moody Blues playing in the background
Suburbs turning into mountains, woods, water bodies
In just an hour, we are transported elsewhere

We hit the cliffs and see the beach below
Our twentieth time visiting it, but it never fails to surprise
As we descend, we feel grateful
For simple pleasures, nature, life

It’s 1922, she stands youthful, proud
Staring modernity in the face
A new era, one of hope
The end of a pandemic, and a war
New dresses, new music, new parties, new wealth
But most importantly, the right to vote
Her voice, no longer confined to her home
Heard clearly in the world beyond
Guaranteeing, a better future for her daughters and granddaughters
She thinks of how it’ll be in a century
And the thought brings a smile to her face
Little does she know….

Taking in the dense urban air
Suddenly, I pause
In the distance, I see it, standing tall
Immediately, I knew I wanted to hike
Up this beautiful looking mountain, so close, yet so far removed

As I walk towards it, a first time visitor to LA
I know not where I go
But deep down, I feel content
I scale the mountain, step by step
Each step, lightening me more than the last
As the city beneath me shrinks
I’m excited for what lies ahead

Towards the top, I see the sign
The Griffith Observatory
As I near the summit
A walk becomes a sprint, then a dash

Till I reach, witnessing a world around me
Of minuscule buildings, bathed in the setting sun
I stand for a quiet moment, taking it all in
The sights, the sounds, the light hill air
Slowly and surely, the sun begins to set
Nearby, a crowd mills around a telescope
But I’m too engrossed seeing the stars closest to me
Above in the sky
And below in the city