Lucern, Switzerland
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- As I traveled alone…
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- Lucern, Switzerland
Poem
This year, mostly because
My health indicates a
Now or never
Approach to any
Adventures other than
Those of the body,
I took a trip
Off continent,
Bringing with me my fears,
Hopes
And the shame of a democracy in decline
As decadence and greed
Outpace humility and compassion
In Spain, I confessed my embarrassment
To a cab driver,
Who looked at me in sadness
As the protests for Catalan-independence
Held traffic still but not silent,
And said: we count on you,
We look to you.
And my throat swelled
In Italy to a young Italian man
Kindly showing me the way to
The confusing chaos of the
Buzzing train station,
He Just smiled and shrugged,
And said: so we all feel these
Days of our so called leaders.
Which somehow lent hope
To the ash-coated areas of
My heart blackened by
The apparent callous disregard
Of those that can well afford it.
In Switzerland the young incredibly
Competent concierge just cast
Her eyes shyly down, with a smile
And a blush, saying:
We were quite surprised.
As my body grew too warm in its layers
And a strangled laugh
Jumped from the pit of my gut
In London, the effects of Brexit
Seemed to coat most connections in
That decline of an empire way,
And stopping in Iceland made me
Quite unable to voice my
Bewilderment at the waste
Of ignorance,
fear and looking
Outward for a savior or evil-doer
that
Only appears when
Looking within.
January Handl
Hope you enjoyed their chocolate.
You know I did!
January. so good to see you and your wonderfully gifted poetry back on Retrospect. I meant to respond when I read your reply to the Retro survey, and forgive if I didn’t!
I was in London shortly after Trump’s election and was approached by British friends with bewilderment, dismay. and condolences.
Thank you so much. I’ve been ill and reconstellating my life so I’ve rather fallen off the world for quite some time. Glad to be back, and I hope to be reading more of your poignant writing!
i hope so too January!
I divide my time between New York and Connecticut, where are you?
I am in Northern California, Glen Ellen in Sonoma County to be exact.
Hope East and West may meet one day!
What a beautiful piece to read, both intimate and expansive at the same time.
Thank you!
I reiterate Dana’s welcome back to Retro and hope that you are doing better. We were in London just before Trump’s election (and many times since then; my son has worked there for 10 years, and now has a beautiful family with two small girls and an artist wife, but I will tell you this tale).
We were on a train, heading out of London, discussing politics fairly loudly. Two women sitting across the aisle overheard us and asked WHAT was going on over there? We assured them that Trump was an aberration and would lose! Boy, were we wrong, to our eternal shame and regret. And look at how we have devolved since then, as you so beautifully sum up.
Your poetry continues to express in your spare, perfect way, just how we all feel. Thank you.
Thank you Betsy….For sharing your experience as well. I appreciate the warm welcome back!
Beautiful poetry on a difficult subject. So well said, with just enough space to have it really resonate. Interestingly, I have found that the angst felt by Americans about Trump is often felt more deeply than by others, who have their own angst we don’t fully realize.
Well said, and exactly what I experienced…an eye opener of my ethnocentricity and understanding of the world.
January, I echo what Dana and Betsy said, welcoming you back. Your contributions have always been beautiful. So sorry you have been ill, but I hope that returning here is a good sign. I love this poem, you express so well how we all felt in 2017. Let’s just hope (and work hard to make sure) that we don’t have a similar problem this year after November 5th!
Thank you, Suzy. I will still “fall off the planet” from time to time as my body decides it’s time to flare and rest, and things are so much better than they were! Happy to engage with the world and you wonderful people as I can.