a year in poetry

July 9, 2025

/ HJ / Leave a comment

a family
a train ride
and thousands of sunflowers
in fields rolling past
at 266 km/h

and somehow it all reminds me of
van Gogh’s paintings
and how much i want to become
an impressionist

~~~

i just got so confused
as to why the baby in front of me
wasn’t crying in response to the
baby crying in the next train car over

and then i remembered that babies are not dogs
who bark and howl to be heard by others
of their species…

~~~

this whole trip
is a whirlwind

this whole life
kind of is
too

at least i have a train car
inside which to sit and write
all my silly poems

~~~

every
single
time
another train passes directly by
i
am
startled

~~~

there are
so many more palm trees
than i ever would have expected
in Europe

[i think that’s on me tho,
because climate is a known thing]

~~~

i think
if you’ve seen
any
van Gogh painting
of nature
or landscape

you’ve seen the full spirit of
what these trains speed past

July 8, 2025 [part 2]

/ HJ / Leave a comment

having a whole conversation
in french

some words rushing past
in a jumble
but also able to pick up certain specifics here and there

and

able to reply
in french

apparently that’s what i wanted
from this trip
[even more so than a life-changing croissant]

July 8, 2025

/ HJ / Leave a comment

who would have guessed
the Eiffel Tower lit up
in magical sparkles
at 10:00pm
[22:00]
?

[probably all those tourists we were walking towards,
but it was a complete surprise for us, as was
the time of the evening]

[still, très magique]

July 7, 2025 [part 3]

/ HJ / Leave a comment

once again
en train de voyager
this time
ce temps
en avion
pas de ferrie
[i’m guessing at some of this french
but so far, i think i’m doing ok]

[though i keep worrying that i’m teaching kip things wrong
and the francophones on this plane
are judging me]

July 7, 2025

/ HJ / Leave a comment

the history in Greece
feels
all around us

integrated into life
and tourist traps
and commonplace landmarks

[though i still stand in awe
at archaeological experiences,
no matter what culture is being shown]

July 6, 2025 [part 3]

/ HJ / Leave a comment

i had a recovered memory
[though i still don’t know where it was from]
of dancing [something akin to the] traditional Greek dances
at some other point in my life

perhaps it was a production of fiddler
with well researched cultural expositions
or perhaps a bat mitzvah i attended once
or something else i can’t even remember the context of

but everything felt so familiar
when trying it for the first time

my life has been so filled with experiences outside my own day-to-day
and i so appreciate life that way

July 6, 2025 [part 2]

/ HJ / Leave a comment

leaving my phone in my pocket
in order to experience all the culture coming at me

the dressing
the kissing
the shaving
the hugging
the loving
the familial bonds

and the invitation to observe
felt
so sincere and lovely

and the explanations for why
even more so

learning all the cultural traditions
as we watched
[and listened]
[and eventually joined in]

even the alcohol was more refreshing in Greece

July 6, 2025

/ HJ / Leave a comment

parade down the one road in Kalymnos
car after car after car with white ribbons on the mirrors
blasting air horns and car horns alike
one stop for coffee
[or was it “coffee”?]
and arriving to see and meet even more family
and friends

the bride arriving
surprisingly on time
[surprising for cultural tradition]
and watching the ceremony all in Greek
with an Athens-native whispering to us
what and why things were happening
and even the jokes that take place in today’s ceremonies
all while standing
and waiting
with rice in hand
to shower upon those before us
tying a marital bond

and, similar to American traditions, congratulating afterwards with rice as well,
then swept off for photos
and a reception
but with traditional Greek dancing
for hours before the modern dj’s set
and no specific time for food
[the main course being served at 1am]
and partying, dancing, and talking with folks
until being dropped off at our hotel at 4:30am
to hear the roosters crowing

i’m so glad we made the trip for this