Extra Trip Poem

 

 

Urquhart Castle

 

From a high level 

in Urquhart Castle,

I tried to imagine

what it would be like

to look out over

the silvery Loch Ness

under the pale blue sky

and fluffy white clouds

back in the 1200’s.

 

How grand it was!

After centuries,

of English and Scottish powers

fighting over it,

 in the late 1600’s,

the government forces blew it up

to keep it out of the hands

of the Jacobites.

 

Now, thousands of tourists

explore the ruins,

click photos

and joke about

catching sight of Nessie.

A first day of summer

inspiring imaginative dreams.

Silence of the night, Poetic Bloomings

 

Urquhart Castle, Scotland

 

The Urquhart Castle on a hill,

Solemnly bordering Loch Ness.

If after tourists were all gone,

I imagine, I must confess.

 

If I were there all by myself

On a shadowy, moonlit night,

Would my mind be calm and peaceful,

Or filled with nervousness and fright?

 

And would I swim out in the lake,

Where’s said a monster is about?

I’d like to think myself as brave,

but I’m glad I need not find out.

First Day Back in Cortez

 

July 10, 2026

Getting Back to Normal

 

Laundry, groceries

Texts and calls

Poems and pictures

To fill the walls

 

Make to-do lists

Step by step

Aim to do them

Lacking pep

 

Build up strength

Get back in sync

Travel again?

What do you think?

 

Reunion in August

Long drive to PA

But that is later

And now for today

Mesa to Cortez

 

July 9, 2026

Drive Home

 

Beautiful summer day

Blue sky, fluffy clouds

Miles of cactus, rocks, scenic cliffs

Usual stops

Peyson, Holbrook, Gallup

Home

After a trip to the UK

A visit with son and daughter

A hospital stay

Nice to sleep in my own bed

Mesa

 

July 8, 2026

Last Day

 

Last day in Mesa

Canasta, dishes, poetry

Plus a good night’s sleep

 

Good old college try

To win games with my daughter

Twenty-one to three

Mesa

 

July 7, 2026

Preparation

 

Drove to Walmart

To see if I could drive post hospital

Will go home soon

 

Worked on poems

Played Canasta with Lori

Ate three big cookies

 

Staying up late

Can’t go to bed full of sugar

I’d get a headache

Mesa

 

July 6, 2026

Recovery

 

Woke up with a snore

And got up at four

And began the day with prayer

I worked on each poem

I write when I roam

To record what I did over there

 

I played Canasta with Lori

Losing’s my story

Did dishes, went back to my room

Went over things to do

When this vacation is through