Packing

Packing

What should I take on this short journey?
Clothing for warm weather,
Swim suit, sandals
A book or two,
Whatever I can't find,
Or don't wish to buy along the way

Taking all that I need
In one small bag,
Wondering
Why I require so much more at home
Than when traveling

More clothes than I will ever need,
Even in this four season climate
More amusements,
Unused yarn, books, music
More food, Furniture
And time saving devices

What if I were leaving for good?
Had to take all that I would need
Forever?

I like to think
I could travel a longer road
With fewer things,
Moving lightly,
Looking out at the world,
People and places,
Not peering inward
To the stuff that clutters
My time and thought

Ruck sack of food and clothing,
Sturdy shoes,
Fiddle slung somewhere near the bed roll

Stopping to chat with the
Old man at his gate
Play a tune for dancing children
In a spring meadow
Noticing the tender subtleties in newly green hillsides

Then moving on
Carrying everything on my back,
Easy stride, covering slow, observant miles,
All the while, still having the breath
To sing.