MILES I HAVE TRAVELED

Miles I have traveled the land and the sea
Planes, ships, trains and cars took me

Buses and bicycles, skates and on foot
Of movement and travel I have known a lot

Over the land and the oceans and the clouds above
I felt the need to explore and all nature to love.

On baby scooters I learned to ride for the first time
Unaware of all the future rides next door

Quiet roads by bike seeing the delight of the island
And the slow and peaceful ferry ride at night

I enjoyed riding gentle miles on my bike
I walked a lot but couldn’t hitchhike

Skimmed on ice to fall off the skates and crash
I walked in the sun, and in rains of rain I have crashed

I have rowed in the Torrens and I had a lot of fun
Sydney Harbor and Swan Ferry Tours

I rode trams, buses, and taxis too
Electric blue sparks from a trolley bus to the zoo

I have shared with hundreds a few days on a cruise.
Exotic markets roamed new foods to choose from

I’ve been on catamarans and yachts
Listen to wind in sails and talk about reef knots

Fascinated, I have seen castles in France
Ancient times imagined and ancient dances

Motor sailing in warm tropical waters
Exploring the charm of the green coral islands

Scary car ride with a nearsighted friend
Whose apprentice weaknesses I could not offend

I learned to fly on an old tiger moth
And master driving a car in the cold

Seasoned Steamy Traffic Sirens
Casually ridden on Italian scooters

Driven thousands of distance over dry sands
And flew thousands of miles to distant lands

He covered many hostile miles without fear
In steam he puffed and rolled down the cove

I enjoyed the boat trip and the view of the ocean.
As I went east to west and flew back

The great plain of Nullarbor that I have seen pass
Where you won’t see a tree if you blink

As the train moves from east to west
Or from west to east, if what you love the most is there

Lulled to sleep by the beat of the strong train wheels
I have known train travel and the comfort that it feels!

Miles over the desert to search the desert well
I have traveled short brave camel rides

I’ve seen vast expanses of deserts
And high mountains of the snowy Himalayas

I’ve been in an old car in upper Kathmandu
Drunk on the beauty of Mount Annapurna

I’ve been alone in the old part of Kathmandu
Wishing I was lucky to meet you

Walking through the gray winter city of London
I longed to have more than one day, it was a shame

I’ve only sped smoothly in refined limousines
And free with the wind in my hair on a bike

In the midst of fierce storms, I have known the roar of the waves
I have known the smooth and silent flight of a glider

I’ve seen the pacific ocean silvered by the moon
Molten magic, white in the dead of night

I’ve wandered the friendly paths of the ride
And run to get to a meeting on time some days

I swam a few miles, yeah, just a few
In surf, river, pool, bay, coral island too

I climbed the cliffs of Lord Howe High Island
I hiked through the lush nature rainforest below

Dived with fins under the vast coral sea
Then the underwater world also revealed to me

I have jumped, jumped and almost floated in space
It spun and spun in dance with absolute grace

I have played a lot of tennis, I have exercised vigorously, free
I bent down, tended my garden and hugged a tree

I walked gentle miles of botanical gardens and flowers.
In the botanical gardens we spent many satisfying hours

Fiji experienced in summer: wet pleasure for tourists
Contrasting the difficult situation of the dry heat of our country

Enjoyed miles in the exotic delights of the markets.
Buying live clothes and lots of fruit treasures.

Noumea it was time to stop for a languid wait,
With scarlet poincianas my great consolation

Tahiti upon arrival was muggy, strange, heavy, hot
Without motivation I really didn’t like it that much

I wandered the alleys and ran a race
Riding a stubborn old man in a strange place

I remember the nice rides on the old tram
And longed for the gypsy home in a caravan

I have had static times and simple joys of home.
Moving so bent as all the free spirits roam

I danced a reel with a partner in kilts
And took a hesitant step on stilts

Both the polka and the waltz, I skipped and danced
I even astral traveled while sleeping in a trance

I have sailed the breezes in warm tropical waters
Calm, clear waters without fear of harm

I’ve known the harshness of crashed trips in a jeep
And suffered later when falling asleep

I’ve slept cold, alone in a sleeping bag
We have a dark starry night, we have a mountain ridge

Swiss alpine mountain lifts so white
It offered beautiful views from its winter height.

I’ve flown over the white snows of the Alps
And on the eternal grayish blue of the sea

On the way to Lima in Peru and ancient Cusco too
And by bus we made our way to Macchu Picchu.

Sitting there in Macchu Picchu at last, pretty still
Drink the beauty like I know you will

When you travel miles by land and sea
To these ancient ruins, where the mists rise ethereally

I heard the magical music of the Andean flutes
Played in the dry high Andean mountains

Mounted on the heavy red earth of the plantation trees
Of coffee, with an old boar as a mount for me.

Observing the red earth farms in Brazil
Not coffee but people still attract me

There are many ways that I have traveled the miles
So many that I can hardly think of counting …

Commonly Seen Orient Novelty Carts
But bad, racked with pain, poor drivers have been

Riding in Indian drag cars causes a joke
Until you think of poor driver-type feet

I love the railroad click-clack pause
Convenience, content: forward, not backward

Many ways to enjoy previous travel days.
Retained by the essence of the shapes of memories

Excited about the trip, but often tired about it
New things have been seen and delights have often been shared.

There are many good modes of travel that I have been shown
However, there is only one left for known astronauts

Even dreaming, my astral soul travels to space
Coming back in the morning with a smile on my face

But the best move that I now enjoy
Is it the pure freedom that the flight of my mind gives me?

My mind has the wings that I enjoy the most now
When I want to travel from here to there

The mind knows no limits, there are no tickets to get
The passport and the route are established by imagination.

Spirit enjoys the natural thrill of traveling to see
New faces, new places, new flowers and trees

Strange habits and customs, landscapes galore
But after a while, modern travel can get boring.

The youngest travel miles quench our soul until
We know it’s time to change and be still

Now instead of the traveler’s strong urge to wander
It’s a longing for a blessed place to call home

It remains to access the beauty of all the joy of travel.
When it is stored in the wealth of the employment of our memory

Of the wonder, the wild, the natural glory of life
We are privileged to have met him without conflict.

Our world is now threatened in many ways
The times to travel safely are shorter day by day

I have known many ways, movements, roads traveled
And I enjoyed the many miles of my travel days.

But perhaps the best of all is that I like to walk on foot
And being old now I want more to stay

Time to recline on my couch with the TV
Let the whole travel experience come to me.

……………….

To remember trips, new sights and sounds.
Different strange people feet touching new land
Nature and cities north, south, east and west
All places have a great charm of their own.
As we taste the wings of freedom and our hearts sing

The memory recalls the wonderful nature
The glory, the beauty of the whole world
Remembering the delights of travel, I lie on my couch
Mind without limit, with no tickets to get
No passport, injections or noisy jet

Now no effort is required for muscles, limbs
There is no reason to worry because the eyes are dull
No need to rely on the skill of technology
No need to fear an accident or spill
The best of all the moves that I now enjoy for free
Is this wonderful free flight that my mind gives me? ………..