Voyage Poem

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My expectations I left in Japan,
My ignorance I left in China,
My innocence I left in Vietnam,
My selfishness I left in Burma,
My arrogance I left in India,
My inhibitions I left in Egypt,
My anxiety I left in Turkey,
My doubts I left in Croatia,
My hesitance I left in Spain,
Myself I found at sea.

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I'll lean against the world,
One that supports my aching body
Matching the creases of the Earth
With changing over time.

I am no longer who you befriended
But a mirror in disguise,
Reflecting on the past
With a deceptive calm.

The ocean caresses the ship,
Massaging its sides,
Like thousands of cool hands on my back,
Urging me along the way.

Children smile and stare and wave,
Made of knobby bodies and
Callused feet as they scurry to me,
Broken hands tapping on my pockets.

I turn from these crowded cities--
They clog my pores with smog and grease,
I search for soft hills padded with grass
Or steep mountains packed with trees.

Women paint their faces and hide their bodies,
Protected from the sun's damaging effect,
Or hidden from wandering eyes
And distrustful hands.

Young girls loop their arms with mine
Asking questions and welcoming me,
They smile and touch my face
As young men ask to kiss my cheeks.

Drifting cats and begging dogs
Sniff at trash piled against fences,
Or investigates wrappers thrown to the curb,
Licking what they find inside.

Dusty roads printed with pawas and toes
Turn to cobbled alleyways,
Full of history, boxes
and cat food.

Busses smell of dry smoke and lemon,
They weave through mountains and
Speed through turns,
Riding the edges of sudden drops.

Coffee smells poor from windows and doors,
Bitter, fresh, sweet, enticing,
And people sounds follow closely,
Relaxed, busy, happy at once.

And now there is land before me
And land behind me,
Yet all I can see is ocean
And sky.

And though the land where I am going
Is as familliar as the language on
My lips,
I know the truth...

For the wind told its secrets to me...

We are as different as we are the same,
Culture is what makes us amazing,
And holding on to it is as important
As drinking water and holding hands.