Where would you like to go? he asked,
opening brochures, booklets and maps,
“Perhaps to Paris? to London? to Perth?
“New York? or Miami or Dallas? Ft Worth?”
“the world is your oyster.” he said with a smile,
“I can book you a flight” in just a short while!”
I thought about Scotland, Australia and Spain,
And then I thought–why not travel by train?
I could fly to Alaska and then ride a train
five hundred miles and then back once again;
Perhaps I could go on the Orient Express–
Or wait! I ‘ve always wanted to see Bangladash!
I thought about Berlin, Zurich and Rome!
I’d see everything and never come home !
And what about countries like Finland and Greece?
Holland, Argentina, and at the very least
Sweden and Norway, Finland and then…
Canada before coming back home again.
The agent’s eyes had dollar signs shining–
the trips he would book, it was just like gold mining;
But his face was crestfallen when he heard what I said
“I think I’ll stay home and just read my atlas in bed!”
Sandra Lee Smith
originally written June 22, 2009;
updated September, 2018
!
