She had always been the shyest child,
Never straying very far,
She walked the straight and narrow,
Avoiding anything bizarre.
She chose a college close to home,
And did her family proud,
She stayed within the limits,
Never breaching what allowed.
With her degree in finance,
Employment offers came her way,
But when she made her choice,
Her parents protested in dismay.
"A third world country," they exclaimed,
"It's such a risky place,"
"For all you knnow, you'll disapp ear,
And be lost without a trace."
In spite of opposition,
She calmly moved ahead,
Got her passport, vaccinations,
With not a bit of dread!
"Your life will be in jeopardy,"
Her mother's chants rang out,
All felt she'd last, at best, a month,
Beyond a shadow of a doubt.
As soon as her plane landed,
A cathartic spell took hold,
And her true, adventurous spirit,
Was free, now, to unfold.
She thrived in this huge country,
With customs and cultures new,
Embracing all it offered,
And, for this, she was welcomed, too.
Carmen M. Henesy
Copyright June 2014 by Carmen Henesy
I am participating, for the first time, in
Use this week's three words:
risky, jeopardy, and cathartic
and join in the fun!
What a great poem to introduce yourself to us. Sad that your own travel is now on hold.
ReplyDeleteWell, oldegg, I can't say I've really stopped traveling....I haven't done any cruises since my retirement but I have spent fifteen months out of the last two years in India and I will return the end of July for four months. I made so many good friends in my 87 cruises with Royal Caribbean ( so many of the crew are Indian or Filipino ) and, since the San Francisco area is so expensive, I can live there very reasonably, then come home for half the year. I am also involved in trying to help India develop forensic nursing ( unpaid ) but it is a labor of love and desperately needed.
Delete...And as she fathomed with a gasp,
ReplyDeletethe true nature of the land,
She realized that the new cultural experience that brought her smiles,
was worth travelling all the miles.
My dear Shiju....I love your addition to my poem. Now, do you think I was writing
Deleteabout myself? Certainly a bit...though I was never shy or one to walk the straight or narrow!
Just a month until I return to my second home,
Lovely poem, I like how you wove the words in this.
ReplyDeleteThank you, my friend.....it's not exactly autobiographical.....never was I shy or close to home, even as a child.
DeleteWelcome to 3WW! I often wish I'd been more adventurous when I was younger. Congrats!
ReplyDeleteI definitely have ALWAYS had an adventurous spirits and, at 69, it is still going strong.
DeleteWelcome to the Club, Carmen. You are in good company! My, you have noble intentions to continue with your calling in India! I was there for 3 months a long time ago. The poverty offers a lot of scope to extend all kinds of help if one has the resolve and the time. Best wishes to you, Ma'am!
ReplyDeleteHank
India does have overwhelming poverty, the worst I've ever seen anywhere in the world. I haven't visited Africa, though and, at 69, I don't think I'll make it. The darn immunizations are too expensive.
DeleteThank you for your good wishes.
We have to listen to our hearts at times and take a risk ..i am glad it worked so well..and that you are here sharing it with us!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the welcome, Jae Rose. My problem, often, is that I have to watch my tongue, especially in India.
DeleteI'll be back to visit.
My first time this week too! I found your poem so interesting. I too travel to India quite often and Asia a lot. People have strange perceptions about the place which are largely unfounded. I'm glad your subject took the plunge!
ReplyDeletebeautiful poem
ReplyDeleteI'm glad we met here, Keith, another fellow visitor to India, "the country of my heart." I'm busy looking forward to my return.
ReplyDeleteone of the best website i ever seen Thank you for your article bhakti Bhajan
ReplyDeleteGanga Bhakti