traveling

part of traveling
is telling people
weeks in advance
that you will be
traveling,
whether to Istanbul,
Australia,
or perhaps even
France.
you will tell them
when your flight
leaves, or when
the ship sets sail.
you'll tell them
what you've eaten,
how well you slept.
you'll inform them
of Tuscany and how
you could live there
for the rest of
your life. how the air
is different, a
strange hue of blue.
how the next time,
you must come too
and stay in a villa
where you could
both learn how to
really cook pasta,
and you could sit
by the window and
stare at the olive
trees and write.
part of traveling
is coming home.
telling someone when
to pick you up.
letting them know
how much fun it was
and you can't
wait to go back.
part of traveling is
showing everyone alive
that you know
the pictures of your
trip, the vase you
bought, pointing
at a thin, hardly
noticeable hairline
crack and saying.
it's still beautiful.