Mono no aware

We ambled up Inveraray Castle and my Hart had a harrowing vision of its own
Staggered by the view from atop waiting on the grandest members of my home
The sun smiled softly at the moon before tipping his hat to the bird
It soon bowed out of the horizon and the hues of the brooding sky stirred
A floundering swan with fumbling confidence swam in a Lethe-like symphony
Sadness swept over me like rushing wind and rustled the leaves of my memory

The edifice stood tall though hunching a little in front of large hills made of sand
You panted and stalled- tired. And unconsciously I offered you my hand
Your palms were warm and dry as they gently clasped mine with gratitude
My heart felt heavy knowing yours was weak and I choked on my imminent solitude
You were larger-than-life though not literally and now your hair had become thinner
You sighed as your thin lips curled with child-like joy but I noticed that slight shiver

And suddenly I found myself thinking of the ghosts I might someday hope to see
With a lump in my throat because of a sweet sillage of moringa and sour cherry
I wanted to plead the fibers of your tendons to not give into the bludgeonings of age
In the elision of the moment when the delicate, silk threads of fate inevitably break
I wanted to make an heirloom of my prayers and make you wear it like an amulet
For my mind was already misty with nostalgia for a time that wasn’t even over yet

It was no comfort that the cruelty of nature’s give-and-take escaped no one
If only your lullabies could shoo these nightmares away like they used to once
Bold colors were becoming powdered but really the end was just of the holiday
There were other treasures and traps our moist eyes would have to hide away
After all, there was some inexplicable grace in the watering away of this sight
And yet, my God, how I wanted to rage against the dying of the light.

-Tannisha Avarrsekar