Month of Janus

Month of Janus

In my mind, I'm sitting in a pub

with beer bubbles tickling my nostrils

while listening to Japanese songs of

fellow patrons. These days I look

up from my book to sip

my luscious cocoa.

In my mind, I'm pedaling

on an unpaved path

to Coonamessett Pond. I smell

the mixed bouquet of

woodland blooms, pine and

humus. Now with my cane I totter

at the parking lot to go into

Shaw's supermarket.

In my mind, I'm at the tepid

water of a tropical sea,

the rhythm of the water

lapping on the beige sand.

Today on the dense plastic

bathing stool, soothing water cascades

from the flexible shower.

Janus, of ancient Rome, the god

of beginnings and of change,

to whom the first month is dedicated,

reminds us to hold the past

and to cherish the now.

"unpaved path to Coonamessett Pond"