Burstin with prose this evening...

TODAY’S MAGIC


I walked briskly the length of the university campus to catch the last post. Across quads of concrete, my image was mirrored in verticals of grubby sheet glass and unyielding uprights of steel as I bent against an easterly wind.

The students all home, emptiness rang out - and hardness: academic pressure, cancer, radiotherapy, ulcerative colitis and degenerative disease – culminating in death. The heavy load of recent months.

But instead of straight lines all I could see was fluidity. My reflection a willow counterbalanced against force; my gait, like my breathing, strong and pumping. My outline softer, more compliant – with my lengthening hair and weight-loss. Hard edges eroding.

Over the concourse, the postman noticed my smile and purposeful approach. He walked to meet me halfway, his hand outstretched as if with benevolence. We exchanged inconsequential words, communication that was easy and flowing, as my letter changed hands.

Turning back, I watched a child on her bike wheeling in elaborate, exaggerated circles, enjoying unhindered paved space and leaning into the dynamics of her life, bubbles of laughter catching on the wind and bouncing off tall buildings.

Life on wheels - the picture fixed in my mind today: frail humanity borne forwards into new spheres of existence. Changing, moving out, growing up and shifting into new cycles.

I hung a left and walked in the lee of the wind through expansive landscaped grounds. Fresh green grass rippled mildly, applauding the exuberant showiness of fountains who threw back their heads with ringing laughter in response. A workman’s radio billowed rasping strains of Sting’s: “Every little thing she does is magic…”

Ah, yes: The Magic! The energy that sets the wheels in motion, transforming harsh places of steel and stone into mystical centres of journey and growth.