Soliloquy

I can see the dimming lights aglow from afar
as Uncle Sam and Aunt Myra jostle for space
in the crowded kitchen corridor
while you crack a joke on how warm it has been
and Mona and Robin fight about who will get
the best presents this year

You have been back for over a year
no wonder the postman finds me blushing
and Mrs Lal’s dog notices me smiling to myself
But I am glad that your friends did not make it
to our place this time around; for all their well-meaning banter
I can’t really stand their impish behaviour

It must be Christmas, I surmise
when you are home
and the kids are laughing
with Keating’s ‘Winter Songs’ in the background

Robin and Mona are subdued in their own elements
as they try to make sense of what is going on around them
They feel like Santa has played one of his little jokes
where he messes with their heads
but makes it alright in the end
They feel like asking him what he wants for Christmas

From under the grove and beneath the mourners
I feel desire cascading through me which whispers
silently on the small of my back and I see
the shadows lengthen and a dream arising
wherein I hold you in my arms and don’t let go
wherein the only gift you give me this year is time

It just has to be Christmas
when you are home
and the kids are laughing
with Keating’s ‘Winter Songs’ on repeat.

Note: This piece of work is the sequel of the poem I wrote last Christmas titled ‘Home This Christmas.’ It speaks from the woman’s perspective in the relationship and addresses the fractured and missing pieces of their unadorned lives. Lisa and Robin’s father is back and his presence at home is what gives this poem its soul.