A Journey Mandala

A Mandala Poem 

a bubble, a ticket, a leaf, a camera, a suitcase 

A Journey Mandala

a bubble in the babbling brook 
rushing down the stream rapids
over rocks and twigs –
thrills and chills 
holding on tight 
for the wild ride 
     like mine! 

a ticket to somewhere – 
anywhere, really, 
that a writer can think:
log cabin with a crackling fire 
leaves crunching under foot 
on the path 
to the front door 
like those ideas 
that crinkle and stir

a hidden camera 
in Trafalgar Square 
stalking the situations and conversations – 
a people watcher on a techie level 
studying human nature
considering all the lives lived

a suitcase – 
a keeper of
only what is necessary 
for the journey 
for traveling lightly 
    through this world 
      knowing that the best souvenirs  
        are the memories
         of presence in each moment

understanding, finally, what 
Steinbeck meant when he wrote 
“We find after years of struggle that we don’t take a trip; 

a trip takes us.”