Travel Posts – Conrad Birmingham

On Trampled Ground

Over Trampled Ground

Visit and enjoy
But what is it
Just a clever decoy
A tourist pit

Not songs of old
Beautiful places of the unknown
Or stories told
Of luscious home grown

But overcrowded masses
Seeing what is made for them
Looking through tourist glasses
The not authentic ho hum

What was
Is gone
A faux pas
Just a yawn

Days long ago
When it was exquisite
A local partisan show
With sentiment and eloquence

An old charm
With genuine people
Living simply with no alarm
On the side of the steep hill

Vineyards and orchards
Olives and grapes
With no ill words
Living with what it takes

To be simple
And kind
With no one to swindle
Or steal you blind

But today
There are plenty
Battling the fray
Too many

In these tourist traps
Marketed as something special
But just ridiculous scraps
On a monetary hijacked vessel

Europe by Train – My new book!

Madrid

Madrid

I wandered Madrid
Enjoying the sights
Believing I am El Cid
A beloved Spanish knight

Fighting not for blood
But time
A tourist stud
Searching and seeking in rhyme

So much to see
For two days of travel
And I was free
At my pace to unravel

All of the great destinations
Sitting in courtyards and plazas
Sipping coffee on vacation
Recalling all Spains mighty causes

Fighting Muslims invaders
Discovering the new world
Subduing the English pirates and raiders
Surviving Fascism as it whirled

Spain had endured
From good times to bad
Unsecured to secured
Moving past the dictatorship fad

Reminding me of Don Quixote escapades
One of my favorite operas and books
He is fighting villains on his crusade
There is more going on than it looks

He is fighting a noble fight
To stay pure and true
A beacon of light
And a strong bond or glue

To the noblest of ideals
For all of the needy and depressed
You must hear his appeals
To be brave and pass the test

True to goodness
True to the humanity
True to the truth
True to God

Anything is possible
If you give it your best
Possible and best is compossible
With a holy quest

A holy quest for what is right
Maybe not popular
Pushing back the blight
As a holy swashbuckler

My mind ran through these thoughts
As I sat at Don Quixotes statue
And I was happy to bear the cross
And I remembered and knew

It should all be for God
The number one thing
And it is hard not to be a fraud
But you must cling to the King

No matter what
Or under any circumstance
You know it in your gut
Take a holy stance

For your friends and neighbors
For the born and unborn
God will reward your labors
And you will be reborn

Sharks

My first shark
I was very young
It was ugly and dark
I bit my tongue

Five years old
It was moving through the waves
The shark was very bold
I began digging our graves

Circling the sailboat
I was petrified
Leave was my vote
I cried and cried

I was scared
Watching the shark swim
And it stared
Would I lose a limb

They made me climb aboard
Crossing the dock
A gigantic fjord
I was in shock

What if I fell in
Would I die
I saw the gray fin
Just stay dry

Stay in the cockpit
Cowarding there
Keep your wit
Stay on guard and beware

You are the smallest
Very vulnerable
The shark would not eat the tallest
Would my body be recoverable

We sailed around
I constantly worried
I did not fear that I would drown
But where would I be buried

When the shark ate me
My little body buried
Maybe at sea
Never married

We made it to shore
I never saw the shark again
But there was more
I carried this pain

My entire life
Sharks were in my thoughts
Causing me much strife
Let me connect the dots

I lived on the ocean
Swimming in the ocean
Sailing on the ocean
Snorkeling on the ocean

But I have never say another
Until my son caught one
Maybe a kindred brother
But this one was done

The shark made the grill
Tasting very good
I had my fill
A long journey from childhood

In these many years
A second encounter
My lucky stars
Better than a flounder

All those many frets
Will I get eaten
So much stress
I had been beaten

I learned a truth
Late but true
I am long in the tooth
But here is a clue

Worry about what you can see
And what makes sense
Easier to fall from a tree
Or run into a fence

Seafood

When I visit the coast, the most important thing is to eat seafood. I want to sample and try all the various seaside dishes available.

I try to eat a different variety at every seating.