10

tree is still up; i'm not ready to sink into the darkness. tibetan incense fills living room with woodsmell. loki the cat is restless. he has been having evening face offs in our yard with his doppelganger. it is very frightening to find two cats in a position to tear each others hearts out. now he is not to be let out after nightfall.



things are returning to the work-a-day school-time routine. tomorrow is one last friday off, for a spell anyway. saturday there is a classmate birthday party for tashi and her friend who share the same day of birth. it's going to be a pretty low key affair, as it has been the last couple of years, with games and craft stations, lunch and usually an outdoor romp.



yesterday was tashi's real birthday; a very fun time was had by all. after m&m pancakes (because, sadly, we were out of chocolate chips) we drove up to wintergreen, a ski resort about 50 miles south west, tucked within the blue ridge. there was snow i say. snow!



the gauze of memory hung over the day, a little flashback, a little deja vu. i used to ski, if not a few times a week, at least once a weekend throughout winter. this routine stopped abruptly when i entered college. it's been over twenty years since i felt the sleush of snow along the blades of skis, since i sat in the quiet symphony of snowfall, since my body danced down a long wide slope. i was either too busy or too poor, or it didn't cross my mind, the trek was just too long, or the slopes were just too short.

but now, in the foothills of the alleghenies, the range i learned to ski in as a child, ancient mountains with altitude and draft, the skiing calls to me.



but we didn't ski. this was an exploratory mission. we instead, tubed. slippy slidey slopes and spinny tubes that travel fast. it was a blast. tashi was bouncing with gratitude. she professes great heartbreak at the lack of snow in virginia. so a day in powder, albeit that which is artificially blasted from intensely loud machines, was the best possible thing to do on her 10th january 2nd birthday.



!!!10!!!



after our wintery afternoon, we climbed into our car, chilled, full of good food, tired and grinning. we drove straight to the shopping mall where tashi had her ears pierced. i'd been promising her for years that she could get her ears pierced when she turned ten. and so, she has.



more fun followed at home. many useful presents. an infusion of garments, accessories, activities. a few soft stuffed things. and more treats. ice cream cake from ben & jerries. mighty fine.




she is our warrior
sharp, wise, assertive
she is our seer
creative, sensitive, visionary

a sparkling fount of wonder

she bubbles with laughter
and even her rage soon dissolves into a sweet patter

sound of her expectancy as she enters our room

opalescent surprise in the sea's secret cove

innumerable silly and serious songs strung on passageways like bead curtains

bathwater wet, tucked in a book, turning boxes into snake hospitals

she's painted a room in my heart
and has permeated my bones with her heat

i honor her
and the spirit that lead her safely to us
thanks eternal

may we live long to see her live
may she live long to see us on
may she live beyond, to see the world change for the better
may she live well, and safely, with much satisfaction and joy