“Each harrowing ordeal will become an adventure. For some idiotic reason, your most horrific experiences are the stories you most love to tell.”  L’Auberge Espagnole, the movie

Travel KOAN

What if nothing happens when we travel?
No squad of screaming babies/who surround you
like a corral
         in a 14-hour stage coach.
No baggage lost or damaged
No room in the back            when you asked for the front.

The fountains and the lights
come on in their time.
The rickety scaffolding disappears from the churches
("So, is that what the Duomo looks like!")

No one laughs at your accent   and
The wine gives up its bouquet.

The spacious elevators
run like a Swiss watch
        Even in Timbuktu.

Did you ever sleep as well?   --  this mattress is better than at home!
The desk clerk, Ivan,
      makes sure that the Kremlin tour has your name.

You are not penalized for visiting a muddy livestock farm in England
         or for sampling the cheese.
The drug beagle does not show interest in your bags.

Every day meets its unlikely promise
the jade mountains /  and sampan sunsets / the water-tight safari tent
          and strong dollar.

In Vienna, you stride down the Ringstrasse    content
Wiping away the Linzer torte crumbs
        from your lips
Never seeing that
       the gypsy and her baby doll
Are coming to meet you
        at the next corner.

# Suscipiat domum  #