Thin as a stick a lizard lurches slips down the door frame freezes still the air in the room mercifully moves fan-swirled a ghost of a breath my body beached, beaten by the heat evaporates the sweat, wet, in rivulets coconut fronds wave desultory, flicker and clack as January days grow hot glass is rising, daily soars my body, beached no lizard is beaten by the heat January 31st, Marari Beach Home Stay
In Kerala there's half a moon flat on its back and strange not as it hangs in the west but slung in a blue-black sky hot wind in the night, pulling and pound of the sea relentless its rhythm and rise rising to fall, over again ceaseless and over again. Time and the tides magical moon high in the hot black sky.
India teems swarms sweats full sun throbbing insists and persists thrum thrum of a drum train rattle and clack, clackety clack
India teems swarms sweats life is cheap work is hard days are long life is short the pulse and the beat, heat the colour and culture, our custom this culture this India our way
Daily and dear the rituals are strong, the heart beat insists in spite of the squalor, the problems the pain survival a struggle no justice no pity, just poojah and prayer the gods here are legion entwined in our custom our culture our lives, daily worship at shrines
Pray for a baby a girl or a boy for health, education, a chance to succeed for work and for marriage, enough food to eat that life will be better, this life or the next this India our India in spite of the filth and the foetid, fight to survive the pity the pain astounding appalling the gorgeous the vile beloved our country our birthplace this India our culture our way
23rd January 2015, RUHSA campus, for my family in India with so much love
Today's frames frozenclicked and stored mind's eye, treasure trove express in a rattle and clatter whistle and wind too close as I cross the track mashed and messy brash magenta yellow clash, funeral garlands strewn and fresh-dropped cattle dung skinny-legged hen strutting and afterwards her skinny-legged raggle-straggle, dusty powder puffs silly goats in a wayward huddle eddying out of line women on the wall watching laughing as we go by, giggling children too, calling Hi
mam welcome you come flowers for you pin flowers which you like in your hair?
small brown legs jumping dancing bursting full of beans dark eyes bright, young life
last and gorgeous a flight of turquoise blue lost in the trees then perched, slash of red at the beak white vent, posed for a photograph kingfisher, still in the sun
We take an early morning taxi ride, a coach a long-haul flight, a Chennai taxi dodge and weave, close our eyes and pray a train air-con, what bliss! A heave a grunt of heavy bags, staggering and sweat and one last taxi, black and yellow Katpadi to home the dear familiar.
Tata trucks, Soundhorn, Latteri and KVK the ATM, bus stand then PKPorum, slow, turn left still rutted final road Paul's hotel unchanged the dear familiar RUHSA building newly blue wood-smoke scented curls, rising heat and spice crows and tamarind trees hibiscus orange blooms a click a clack a clickety clack train's long long mournful call.
All day, all night and half another day and all for this for this Unlock the door, switch on the fan listen... we are home!
9th January 2015, RUHSA S India, for Pam with so much love
