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WINTER

For ABC Wednesday


TROPICAL WINTER

At year’s end in Village Isan
Be prepared for climate change
Arriving in casual dress
Under cool cover of darkness

A hint of winter in disguise
Moves in for the chill by morning
Twice a week throughout December
Finished by February

Neighbours unite to fuel the fires
Gloves, scarves, coats, hats, help combat cold
Gather in gangs to feel the thaw
Central heating – Isan style

Breakfast is a sombre affair
Enter the sun, and spirits rise
On shafts of steam, issued by breaths
Mimicking mists in the valley

Dare to stare at insipid sun
Take the full five second challenge
Blink away green and yellow dots
Reminders of futility

Face to the east as embers fade
Lounging like so many lizards
Rays penetrate, revitalise
Hearts and minds numbed by nature

Sun earns its keep, loungers shed skins
Returning to T-shirts and shorts
Mid-morning quest for cool beneath
The shade of a Tamarind tree

And Winter, a recurring dream
Unwelcome guest, who can’t stay long
Has business to conduct elsewhere
Much tougher terrain to torment


NOSTALGIA

When
We Wore
Wellingtons
We Walked Without
Watchful Wariness
Winters Were Wonderful!