Category Archives: travel

traveling around the world

my first time around the world
i had short hair
and packed every lotion and anti-wrinkle cream
till my white t-shirts
stained brown
and i had to leave
a piece in every country.

my second time around the world
hair had more split ends tied back
and my pack held what i learned
from those
wandering souls on the
road more worn than i had
ever originally guessed.

now… i am wandering, hanging out
and my hair is a wild kingdom of creatures
living quite contently with me
barefoot, light weight as air
each step
leaves an imprint
till bit by bit i’m gone.

a welcome home of sorts….

wheels rolling fast towards home —
FREE STATE STEEL
stands in its stoic capital letters all lit up
and Peterbilt’s giving a smile
(perhaps a smirk) and
the logical lines of the plant that has no name
its horizontal pipes
leading the way

white smoke casually glances
and the piles piles piles of decay
or construction
give a deep bow

and in a near distance
the Natty Boh man
beckons with a neon
towering
wink.

[author’s note on this: for better or worse, baltimore always has that knowing, that good natured ability to look at itself and take it all in with a slight* chip on the shoulder]

cab in Tampa

then i’m in a cab in Tampa
and the woman
says that in Christmas they camp
and one year
the cold kept them in the van
with homemade stew
and strings of cranberries

outside the palm trees
snuggle with the humidity
and again the woman says
she’s been driving for 25 years and
when she turns 50
the theme of the party will be
life is highway

aren’t we all just another fare,
another green light to
leave behind.

an American tourist in Rome (circa 2002)

i take a rest on a dusty rock
that whispers “2,000 years ago
in the valley of the Roman forum…”
and i lean in close

i realize everything:
notice now the graffiti
the red wine making toasts
the Italian playing John Denver
the gelato sliding down your tongue

i watch the wheels of the bus leaving
my breath stolen straight from my pores by ghosts

splendere i come Roma

when the Atlantic coast is your only passenger

tonight, it is done–
the half moon is your copilot
and you find the iconic
Joni Mitchell and Sam Cooke
agree soulfully that
tonight the steering wheel
feels more alive
that tonight,
when the Atlantic coast is your only
passenger sleeping
somewhat restlessly against the window,
you have
but open miles ahead tonight
and your headlights
witness only the
fringe reminder of trees.