miles I’ve traveled
MILES I HAVE TRAVELED
Miles I have traveled by land and by sea
Planes, ships, trains and cars took me
Buses and bikes, skates and on foot
Of movement and travel I have known much
Over the land and the oceans and the clouds above
I felt like exploring and all nature to love.
On baby scooters, I learned to ride for the first time.
Unaware of all future rides to the side
Quiet bike routes to see the delights of the island
And the slow peaceful ride on a ferry at night
I have enjoyed riding easy miles on my bike
Walked a lot but couldn’t hitchhike
Skimmed on ice to fall off skates and crashed
I walked in the sun, and in the rain I ran
I have rowed in Torrens and I have had so much fun
Ferry rides on Sydney and Swan Harbor
Traveled trams and buses and taxis, too
Electric blue sparks from a trolleybus to the zoo
I have shared with hundreds some days on a cruise
Tour exotic markets new foods to choose from
I’ve been on catamarans and on yachts
Listen to the wind in the sails and talk about reef knots
Fascinated I have seen castles in France
imagined ancient times and ancient dance
Motor navigation in warm waters of the tropics
Exploring the charm of the green coral islands
Terrifying car ride with myopic friend
The weaknesses of whose student I could not offend
I’ve learned to fly in an old Tiger Moth
And mastered driving a car in the cold
Experienced Hot Traffic Sirens
Casually mounted on Italian scooters
Driven thousands of distances over dry sands
And flew thousands of miles to distant lands
Covered many hostile miles without fear
On the steamer it rattled and rolled through the Bight
I enjoyed the boat ride and the view of the ocean.
As I have gone from east to west and back in flight
The great plain of Nullarbor I have seen slide
Where you won’t see a tree if you blink
As the train runs from east to west
Or from west to east, if that’s what you like the most
Lulled by the rhythm of the strong train wheels
I have known train travel and the comfort it feels!
Miles over the desert to search the desert well
I have made short and brave camel trips
Vast expanses of deserts have been seen by me
And high snowy Himalayan mountains
I’ve been in a vintage car up high in Kathmandu
Drunk with the beauty of Mount Annapurna
I have been alone in the old part of Kathmandu.
Wishing I had the luck to meet you
Strolling through the gray and wintry city of London
I longed to have more than a day, it was a shame
I’ve only sped smoothly in fancy limousines
And free with the wind in my hair on a bike
Amid fierce storms, I have known the rough roll of the waves
I have known the smooth and silent flight of a glider
I’ve seen the Pacific Ocean, silvered by the moon
Molten magic, whiteness in the night gloom
I’ve strolled the sociable paths of the boardwalk
And rush to be on time for a meeting some days
I’ve swum a few miles, yeah, just a few
In surf, river, pool, bay, coral island too
Climbed the high cliffs of Lord Howe Island
He walked through the lush rainforest of nature below.
Diving with fins under the vast coral sea
Then the underwater world also revealed to me
I’ve jumped, jumped and almost floated in space
It twirled and twirled in dance with absolute grace
I have played a lot of tennis, exercised vigorously, free
I crouched down, tended my garden and hugged a tree.
I walked gentle miles of botanical gardens and flowers.
In the botanical gardens he spent many satisfying hours
Fiji Experienced in Summer: Wet Tourist’s Delight
Contrasting the difficult situation of dry heat in our country
He enjoyed miles in the exotic delights of the markets.
Buying vivid clothes and lots of fruit treasures.
Noumea was the moment to stop for the languid wait,
With scarlet poincianas my great consolation
Tahiti upon arrival was sultry, strange, heavy, hot
Without motivation, I really don’t like it very much.
I’ve ridden lanes and I’ve run a race
Riding on a stubborn old nag in a foreign place
I remember backcountry rides on the old tram
And longed for the gypsy home in a caravan
I’ve had static times and simple joys of a home
Moving so inclined as all free spirits roam
I’ve danced a reel with a partner in kilts
And took a hesitant walk on stilts
Both the polka and the waltz I have jumped and danced
I even astral traveled as I slept entered
I have sailed the breezes in warm waters of the tropics
Calm, clear waters without fear of harm.
I have known the harshness of traveling beaten in a jeep
and then I suffered in falling asleep
I have slept cold, alone in a sleeping bag
We have dark starry night, we have mountain ridge
Swiss alpine mountain ski lifts so white
They offered beautiful views from their winter height
I have flown over the white snows of the Alps
And over the eternal grayish blue of the sea
On the way to the Peruvian Lima and to the old Cusco too
And by bus we made our way to Machu Picchu
Sitting there in Machu Picchu at last, very still
Drinking in beauty like I know you will
When you travel the miles over land and sea
To these ancient ruins, where ethereal mist rises
I have heard the magical music of the Andean flutes
Played in the high dry Andean mountains
Mounted on the heavy red dirt of the plantation trees
Of coffee – with an old horse as a mount for me
Observing the red earth farms in Brazil
It’s not cafe, but people still attract me there.
There are many ways I’ve traveled the miles
So many I can hardly think to count…
Commonly seen oriental novelty rickshaws
But bad drivers, wracked with pain, have been
Traveling in Indian pull cars causes a joke
Until you think about the poor feet of the driver’s block.
I love the calm of the railway click-clack
Comfort, content: go forward, don’t go backwards.
Many ways to enjoy travel days gone by
Held by the essence of the shapes of memories
Excited about traveling, but often tired of it.
New things have been seen and delights have been shared often.
There are many good modes of travel that have been shown to me
Yet one remains only for men from known space
Even dreaming, my soul travels astrally through space
Coming back in the morning with a smile on my face
But the best move I now enjoy
It is the pure freedom that gives me my mental flight
My mind has the wings that I now enjoy the most
When I want to travel from here to there
The mind knows no limits, there are no tickets to get
The passport and the route are established by imagination.
Spirit enjoys the natural thrill of traveling to see
New faces, new places, new flowers and trees.
Strange customs and habits, landscapes galore
But after a while, modern travel can get boring.
Younger miles traveled satiate our soul until
We know it’s time to change and be still
Now instead of the traveler’s strong urge to wander
It’s a wounded longing for a place to call home
It remains for us to access the beauty of all joy of travel
When stored in the wealth of the use of our memory
Of the wonder, the wild, the natural glory of life
We are privileged to have known him conflict-free.
Our world is now threatened in many ways
The times to travel safely are less and less every day
I have known many ways, movements, traveled paths
And I enjoyed the many miles of my travel days.
But perhaps best of all, I like to walk on foot.
And being old now, what I want most is to stay still
It’s time to recline on my sofa with TV
Let all travel experience come to me.
……………….
To remember trips, new sights and sounds.
Feet of different strange people touching new ground
Nature and cities north, south, east and west
All places have a great charm of their own.
As we taste the wings of freedom and our hearts sing
Memory recalls the wonderful nature,
The glory, the beauty of the whole world.
Remembering the delights of travel, I lie on my sofa
Limitless mind, no tickets to get,
No passport, injections or noisy jet
Now no effort required for muscles, limbs
There is no reason to worry that the eyes are dark.
There is no need to rely on the skill of technology.
No need to fear an accident or spill
Quite the best of all the movement that I now enjoy for free
It is this wonderful free flight that my mind gives me!………..
