Her Winter Vacation

Beaming, mouth brimming with news
and enthusiasm, she happily confides that
Mexico and Bermuda are not her idea
of a destination. India, on the other hand
mysterious exotic India is another thing
and they have just returned. A week in Delhi,
another in Cochin, and a final week in
Jaipur, and it was !spectacular! and she
loved every minute of it, the fabulous
atmosphere, the sweetness of the people
the excitement of history and culture
and it was unfortunate her husband had
been unable to fully appreciate it all
ill as he had been with a stomach upset
and the final straw for him was pneumonia
for which he remains on  antibiotics. But
she was caught in the fantastic ambiance
the lush green and wealth of Jaipur, the desert 
dryness of Cochin, the imperial splendour of
of the temples, the pristine white grace
of the Taj Mahal, it was all so splendidly
wonderful, the trip of her lifetime, and 
it was just inspirational to see the melding
of cultures and religions, everyone living
in peace and harmony. And the heat! the heat!
while winter in Canada was in full sway...!
Dare I prick the admiration she glories
in, would it seem like sour grapes if I
ventured to mention the Dalit and class
culture, the occasional paroxysms of
deadly violence between Hindu and Muslim
the rape culture victimizing Indian women
the privation and poverty, disease and endemic
corruption, the fields and railway tracks 
that pass as privies for multitudes....