#certainity

Compelled by the wintry weather

We stayed in, the haven from the chill a tether

Walked along the corridor past the Christmas tree

Standing there lighting up the December spree

Compelled by the delicate décor so incandescent

With the radiance from the light subtle and ever so pleasant

Absorbing the inherent warmth it gave off

Loneliness replaced by compassionate comfort into which we morph

Compelled by a rustle, we discerned a diminutive life in there

Wriggling in there  somewhere

And there it was, a sweet little spider

All alone, spinning his web, an intricate thing he would embroider

Compelled by the tiny form of life making its poem

We let him be, named him Ted, now a part of our humble human-arachnid dome

Ted would sit tight everyday, sight of him making us pause a moment

For all, he gave us certainty until he wasn’t

Compelled by Ted’s impact, we left the shrine untouched

That must have brought home an even tinier one, Ted Jr, to who’s reassuring presence we clutched

And modestly the unmarred web spanned

Whenever I look back at history’s horrifying events, particularly those that happened in this part of the world, a twinge of grief overwhelms me. I get sad and sore. And I doubt myself. “Would I’ve ever tried to be on the ‘right side of whatever injustice is happening? Had I been in the midst of all the horror would I’ve bravely resisted the abuse and outrage? Were I living in the ‘Greater India’…