The Teddy in the Snow

I found him laying there
Cold and wet with fur missing
He looked loved
But why abandoned
Whose was he?
And was her greatly missed
A warm empty space
Awaiting his return
To the side of the one who loves him
While he lay cold and damp
In the endless fields of barren emptiness

I put him in the machine
Watched him spin around
As the powder worked its magic
The days of damp and grime
Dissolved away in the warmth of the swirling water
I wish my troubles could disappear so easily
And he seemed to smile at me
In a knowing way
As teddies do

I propped him on the radiator
Laid him flat so he wouldn’t slouch
And spoil the comfortable look he had
As the warmth entered his body
Drying his centre of the dampness
And I wondered would my core ever defrost
After the cold of loves frosty reception
Teddy gave me a look of knowing
As conspirators to throw over an evil regime would
And my heart burst open
The tears flowed and I felt light

The next day he was dry
So I fluffed up his fur with an old clothes brush
Puffing him out till his fur was back to normal
He smiled again
For he was back to normal
Would I be? I hoped it was as easy
Maybe I needed to be found
Washed, dried and fluffed
Give me back myself
Rather than being left unloved
In the cold wasteland of life

It was then my nephew called
Upset and worried
His friend’s teddy had been lost
They’d looked for days
A present from his Grandmother
Who had died that year
Given in love for when he worried the most
Felt frightened the most
Cried the most
All that was left of the loving heart he knew
I gasped as he told me
How he looked
How he smiled
How he felt
When he heard who I had with me he yelled
Dropped the phone

I picked up Premadasa
“Servant of love”
Held him close
Knew he was truly loved
That he had a home
That I had found him for a reason
And smiled his smile