The need for new experience burns brightly
gummed into these walls daily and nightly.
I think back to my great escapes
first road-trip blown interstate —
like a loose leaf.
Thrilled like a thief
cutting open his first safe, hoping for something good,
but okay if it’s just a cheap bauble of simple wood.
Taken on New Years Day 2020 in Doha.
A cold wind blew through the vestibule,
tussling the tongues of flame
on the candles powering parishioners’ prayers.
Would one ill-timed entrant extinguish all those vows and well-wishes?
The flames did a shimmy dance,
but remained lit —
save one.
Taken on October 7, 2019 at Arikamedu. Arikamedu was a Roman trading post near Pondicherry. The ruins are much more recent, and the Roman and Greek artifacts from the site can be seen in the Pondicherry Museum. Regarding the mention of “Greek,” it was originally thought to first be a Greek post, but current consensus is that it started with the Romans (and later colonial powers as well as indigenous kingdoms had settlements there.)
