KOVALUM NEW YEAR DAWN

Trivandrum, Kerala State

every dawning is the same here
the gentle waves wash rhythmic
onto black rock cliffs below
on the Arabian Sea in distance
a tall thin fisherman stands
to paddle his bamboo kayak
then crouches to wield his hand line
if he catches fish
soon others cluster near
a thousand crows caw
doves and kestrils flap and shriek
begin to lunge and fiercely dash
across the shore with food hung
in their long strong beaks and claws
the calm sea meets horizon
in a blur with sky pale blue with grey warm as skin, salt brine
buoyant when I swam
the beach sand hot and saffron

polite men in white
women in kaleidoscopic saris
greet me: "Good morning, Madam"
the sea sounds, soft, insistent
echo in open stone corridors

here, a state run tropical hotel paradise
tourists loll on beach chairs
stroll in summer dresses
drink froth from coconut shells
the dhobi walla spreads white towels
to dry on rocks in sun
palm trees rattle in soft wind

here in Kerala, land of coconuts,
humid even in the dead of winter
every morning begins the same.

BBC World says a blizzard
hit Chicago so bad
even O’Hare Airport was shut down
"One of the worst" of this aging century
here near the tip of Southern India
I want to put on my boots and mitts
go home to shovel out my Toyota
to cruise at 74 mph
on safe four-lane roads
to hear CD music from all six speakers

and while I shovel
to feel the bite of wind-borne snow
slapping on my cheeks
to pile snow in mountains
round my door
to sleep under my down comforter
in my own bed
with frost etchings on the window
of my own home
every morning begins