It is morning and, as usual. I write from bed. I awoke to a precious gift – a poem arrived via email. The poem, written by Clive James, is titled In Two Minds. The conveyer of the gift explained that it had been “slightly cut short because it is a bugger to type long texts.” I am most moved by the poem and the gesture.
In Two Minds
A change of aspect. Out in the garden now
the pools of rain take extra territory
And keep it. winter will come again
the rainsoaked sunlight strives to slow it down
But cant for long
Such glittering prospects are still grim for me.
—
Just add a few birds and spring would be here
again. Remember it? Who can forget
all that renewal in so little time
perhaps it will never stop, the slide
to nothingness.
Isnt it something though, so cool, so clean
The way the flagstones , gleaming from the drench,
Reflect a light that could be from the sun
….
—
And I am in two minds; all set to go
mad keen to stay. The second I fear still
Outweighs the first. Today I signed the form
That says I want no tube stuck down my throat
Should I need that to keep on drawing breath
Then another friend sent an email describing the activity outside her window.
She: Wow! The most beautiful big flock of birds just flew around the area behind the house going back and forth and up and down for a few minutes and then flew off. Sometimes I see a flock of geese flying over, always in formation. I understand that even if there are inly two or three flying together, they still fly in formation. Such a wonder! Wait—here’s the flock again—they all landed in a tree—at the same time! They don’t seem to be flying in any particular formation but then they’re probably Republicans.
Me: I love your description of the birds and loved your joke about the Republicans.
So life seems very rich and full. Staying in touch with people is important to me. I am so transient. Where would I be without email? It was my sole source of contact when I lived in London.
But I had the most incredible encounter in the loo at my favorite Dunn’s Restaurant.. The restaurant was busy because there was a special dinner taking place in one of the backrooms. I went to the loo to find a slight line. The special dinner girls were taking a pee break and their numbers grew. They were darling, high school students from Australia on a special tour with their principal (very handsome) and some teachers. The girls and yours truly had such fun, even did a video and put it on Instagram. A still picture, attached to this blog, will show us in all our glory. Later, on the way out, the whole group stopped at my table and we laughed and joked. I felt like a celebrity and (need I say again) the principal was very handsome. I guess I will have to go to Australia and visit them. Please notice how profoundly color coordinated I was that evening.
I am actually mellowing out a bit. Faithful readers will recall how much I HATE ripped jeans. But now when I see someone wearing them I just smile and say:
Me: Do you know that you have holes in your jeans?
Almost always they smile and say: “Yes”. Others look a bit shocked. Nowadays I complement people who are well dressed and point out to others that they have holes in their jeans. It is working and I have great conversations with those who are well dressed. My hand gesture to those men who have no mufflers is also working very well. I even look forward to hearing the excessive noise because it is fun thinking about their little members. I have a super busy day ahead and must get moving. It is VSO’s Tea and Trumpets this afternoon. I just can’t wait!
