budapest

That obnoxious officiant clerk

/ wvfurandroot / 2 Comments

Longing for Budapest
I want to cruise the Danube
from Switzerland to the Black Sea
drifting from one fairytale to the next.

I’m more interested in Vienna than
Paris thought I certainly wouldn’t
turn up my nose at the Louvre
and afternoon coffee on the Seine.

An overwater bungalow with a thatched
roof in the Fiji appeals
more than Bali, though the terraced
rice paddies are really something.

Thailand would be lovely.
But Vietnam’s beckoning is stronger.
A train from north to south.
My family has a history there.

Speaking of which — Ireland.
But Edinburgh shouts louder.
It’s wilder, I think. A little rough around
the edges, like my chosen home.

I was in Guatemala on an aid trip
fifty years ago this year.
I’d like to see it with these eyes.
That 17-year-old’s were perhaps too young.

The choices are limitless and overwhelming.
When at most. I can choose one. Maybe two.
My finite bank account is an officious clerk
refusing to stamp my passport so I can move on.

I wish this wasn’t fiction.

/ wvfurandroot / Leave a comment

Marjorie sat on her sofa in the room with blue walls and stared at them. She loved this room, and she loved her house, but on this particular day, she was at loose ends and restless. She picked up things from the coffee table one by one. The teal candle holder with the tea candle. The pottery bowl her stepdaughter had made. Her meditation beads.

Photo by Keszthelyi Timi on Unsplash

She thought about meditating. Her brain was so noisy today that she knew it would be futile. All the more reason to try, but she set them down too. She spied the small antique globe and picked it up. Spinning it, she daydreamed about taking a trip.

“Why not? She asked the cat. “Why the hell not? I have vacation days and I have a hefty tax return on the way. I like traveling alone. I can do this.” The cat didn’t reply.

She gave the globe a mighty spin, closed her eyes, and touched her finger. . .

To Hungary.

“Hot damn, I’ll go to Budapest. I have always wanted to go. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site.” She danced around the living room and imagined the adventure she would have. Maybe she could fly into another city and take the train or river cruise into Budapest. That seemed in keeping with the ancient city.

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