Machu Picchu
I
Backpacks
bucket lists
smart phones
selfie sticks
altitude pills
attitude pills,
sun hats
sun block
Lonely Planet Guidebook,
don’t drink the water
don’t eat the salad
no ice please
this is our tribe
this is our tribe.
II
The Incas long ago
left for the valley
to grow their quinoa,
wheat and corn
but we keep coming
to look for something
that may have been left behind;
we are a benign invader
a tad earnest maybe
mild-mannered to a fault
but hand us a weak wifi signal
and we go ape-shit.
There are those among us
who have already abandoned
the physical world –
I see them
sitting in restaurants
heads bowed and thumbs
working beneath the table
connecting by radio waves
to a digital stream
of consciousness and banality.
I am he as you are he
and we are a river of electrons.
Photos by Marie Feeney
This poem was originally published in The Galway Review.
Taking part in Open Link Night over at dverse
Stopdraggingthepanda 
Humans on different wavelengths, connected by this energy we cannot explain. Beautiful photos by the way
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Thanks Gina!
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As we travel the world, we realize how much we are all connected…
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Are we truly connected when we isolate ourselves in the process?
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yep, that to some extent is what the poem is about……hermetically sealed travel has its limitations.
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Yes indeed!
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I like this up-to-date description of a tourist: “but hand us a weak wifi signal
and we go ape-shit.”
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Thank you Frank!
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Love the first bit. It reminds me of the Billy Joel song “We Didn’t Start the Fire” – sharp lyrics and your sharp poem.
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Thanks for pointing that out Suzanne, i like that song! And thanks for recognising the sharpness, it’s what I aim for!
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The worlds are different and far apart but we are all part of this planet’s journey.
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True indeed!
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There is something really sad that there is nothing exotic anywhere far away… maybe the best adventure is right around the cover (without coverage)
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Wonderfully sharp descriptions, Jim, and thought-provoking as always. Pretty sure it’s not what John Lennon had in mind, but I dare not criticise the wonder that lets me chat to you from across the world, and yes, as soon as the net goes down I start feeling insecure.
Spending formative years in the Latin world reshaped me, at least enough to let me know I didn’t have a clue, and maybe I learned a few things when there was nothing to do but be where I was. On the other hand, I learn a few things whenever I read your work, so thank you.
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Thanks Steve and yes I admit there is some irony in criticising the medium I am using to criticise the medium!
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It’s the only way–the good with the bad.
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