Somewhere In The World

Somewhere in the World

by Linda Pastan

Somewhere in the world
something is happening
which will make its slow way here.

A cold front will come to destroy
the camellias, or perhaps it will be
a heat wave to scorch them.

A virus will move without passport
or papers to find me as I shake
a hand or kiss a cheek.

Somewhere a small quarrel
has begun, a few overheated words
ignite a conflagration,

and the smell of smoke
is on its way;
the smell of war.

Wherever I go I knock on wood—
on tabletops or tree trunks.
I rinse my hands over and over again;

I scan the newspapers
and invent alarm codes which are not
my husband's birthdate or my own.

But somewhere something is happening
against which there is no planning, only
those two aging conspirators, Hope and Luck.

"Somewhere in the World" by Linda Pastan, from Traveling Light. © W.W. Norton & Company, 2011. Reprinted with permission. (buy now)

2010 Travels

In 2010 I went to a lot of places and was too busy to blog. I even scored "Executive Premiere" status for the first, and what I hope will be the last time. Travels are fun, but I do like to stay home and sit on the couch with my sweetheart and the menagerie. However, I am very grateful I had a peek at the Red Carpet Lounge at Heathrow.

Here's where I went: Memphis, Austin, Chicago, SPAIN (Barcelona, Bilbao, San Sebastian, Oviedo, Santiago De Compostela), PORTUGAL (Porto), Manchester, TN, Minocqua, WI, New York City, back to New York City, back to New York City, back to New York City, DENMARK (Copenhagen), ENGLAND (London), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Portland, OR and a holiday road trip to Sun Lakes, AZ (via Palm Springs to and Bakersfield on return).

It seemed like most of the year was work work work but now that I've highlighted the fun vacations in green -- I'm seeing that I had way more fun than I imagined. I hope my luck continues through the next 365. Happy New Year!