An Anniversary Conversation

On that cozy afternoon a man of golden years read a paragraph from a magazine.

“Digital T.V. hitting the market. Our style of T.V. is obsolete now.”

The woman still slender in her delicate frame looked around the room to see what else had become obsolete in this fast changing world.

A chiming wall clock that had long stopped chiming.

Like the old clock time had lost its value too.

It passes from the room like morning rays of sun unannounced, unnoticed.

A manual typewriter collecting dust in the closet—

Many letters written on it and sent to her by the love of her life.

His first letter still wrapped around her heart like the faded shawl wrapped

around her frail body.

She weaved her fingers through silky grey hair and touched the wrinkles of her face trying to feel something that was once lustrous and beautiful—

Like the typewriter and chiming clock youth had become obsolete too.

She heard the voice again like an echo from the past

“Well a whole new line of product is coming

Do you want to buy something for your anniversary?”

As if coming out of a trance she asked in a silvery tone
“Can you buy youth?”

A silence floated above the room like a gray cloud in blue sky.

Then the man smiled.

“No, but I can still buy candles and order dinner for us tonight.

I can still play one of the 50s song that you loved so much.

We can still have candle light dinner and swing a little to the tune of music.

You are as beautiful to me today as the day that I first met you.”

Woman blushed a little.

Love that captivated her heart is never obsolete.

Love like theirs is young forever.

The tender love that kept them together for seventy years

Was as rosy and serene in their hearts as the vermilion sunset over the hills.

A very happy 70th Anniversary To Mildred & David with all my love and best wishes.

Savita Tyagi
January 28^th 2012

Note: 

I met Mildred about eighteen years ago at Friendship International, a program for various nationalities sponsored by First Baptist Church. She was a quilting teacher there. For several years besides quilting I learned so much more from her. I specially liked listening about the time of her life when she was young living on farm. A life of not so distant past, world wars and depression era of U.S. history. A time that we often heard about but never knew much of it. Today she is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. I visited her some time back and her husband helped her to take me in past to the time of how, where and when they met and got married. How he joined army and how they settled in Edmond. Some of the memories of my past visits with them went in above writing as I wrote this imaginary conversation for her seventieth wedding anniversary celebration. Later on her Anniversary day I and my friend visited her again at her home.
There as I read the poem to her it was amazing to see her touching her face and shaking gingerly the silvery curls of hair and remembering the keys of typewriter. Her husband right away brought their book of letters that their daughter had created for them as Anniversary gift but she asked him to wait showing it till I finished my reading. I was touched by her comments and gestures and her love of life as she heard each line with keen interest.We laughed together on my silly imaginations. Really how ignorant of me to think that morning rays passed unnoticed from there. Sitting with her on her dining table while she ate little bit of food that we had taken I could feel the warmth of sun light all around the room. It was so wonderful to see her savor life for all its moments.

January 31rst 2012.