Traveler at Home

Real Toads has offered an intriguing prompt today: to write something about oneself so readers can get to know more about the person, not just his or her poetry. Cool. I could go on for hours in prose, but poetry is a bit of a challenge. Let's give it a go. I doubt the result will be a poem, we'll see what happens.

Welcome.

Come into my abode and have a look around.
I'll put the kettle on.We'll hear it sing.
Come sit upon my gigantic comfy couch
that dwarfs this small room
but offers comfort, rest,
when weary Travelers fall into its welcoming arms
to replenish for the journey.

I've been a Traveler since I was small,
in search of  Home it took me decades to find
within my own soul.

I have never traveled very far,
in miles,
yet through my wall of books
have wandered the whole world.
I have my favorite spots:
Tibet. Africa. Machu Picchu.
The ocean - the wild west coast of Vancouver Island,
and all the untamed places of the earth,
where beauty and nature reign
and wild creatures still walk freely on the land.

The inner distance,
that is something else again:
light years to this place
from where I started out,
and then full circle back
to my own hearth fire,
to make the trek complete.

I love best dogs, small children
and old people, and they tend to love me back.
I try to keep a true and honest heart,
to stay grateful, to give whatever it is
I have to give.
On the harder days, I find something
to cackle about, to lift my spirits.

You can see, on my walls,
the things I love:
wolves, and elephants, lions and dogs,
Tofino, Tibetan singing bowls and prayer wheels,
the Dalai Lama,
Asian figures, African drums, First Nations masks,
and a South American rainstick.
A thousand books. Shelves of music of all types.
Stacks of wonderful movies.
Enough to keep me entertained
for the rest of my life.

There is Enough in my life,
for my needs are simple,
 a roof, a little food and time -
time to rest and write and remember,
a gift of days to finish writing it all down,
and to walk through rainforests
in this autumn of my life.

My well being comes from peacefulness,
from a contented and ever-grateful heart,
from the beauty of this miraculous planet,
the comforts of my little home,
and connection with the wider world
through my tapping on these magic keys.

From my first comforting morning cup of tea
to my last read of the day before I turn off the light,
this is my world, a simple one,
pleasing to me.

No more tea?
I'll bid you well, then
as you go.
And thank you for
your gift of stopping by.