two weeks
in and out
a perpetual
Go
Go
Go
from New York
to Maryland
(to Adelphi, to Baltimore, to Ocean City, to Frederick, to DC)
to New York
to Upstate
(to Batavia, to Byron, to Elba, to Waterport)
to New York
and now
are we still
Go…Go…?
from Brooklyn
to the Bronx
to Manhattan
and back
and back
and back?
or is there a moment
of rest
to recover
(or is the rest
also going to be
from bedroom
to Zoom
to Zoom
to Zoom
continually
ad infinitum
and on and on and on?)
when one is not plagued
by friendship degradation mechanics
a special vacation
to see old friends
can nearly immediately
feel abnormally normal
to the point where
you kind of forget
where you are
or how old you are
(or everything else that has happened these last few years
when folks ask how your life has been…)
~~~
driving
still equals freedom
but the freedom
explored
in the united states of america
isn’t really that free
(when was it ever?)
~~~
how are toddlers
both
straight up babies
and tiny real humans
at the same time?
i went into a Barnes and Noble yesterday
and, as a friend stated,
it was unnaturally normal.
the stacks were all stacked,
sales, clean shelves, bright lights,
like they had just shut down regularly one night
and opened the next day with everyone wearing masks.
and i bought too many books
(potentially to make up for my spouse not being there;
our usual date night: book shopping)
and we still had our membership active
(as if the last year and a half on pause hadn’t even happened)
the normalcy
is throwing me
eating under an umbrella at a bar/grill,
pushing strollers through outdoor malls,
playing on communal playgrounds…
don’t misunderstand me,
i am fully vaccinated,
and i am aware of how the virus spreads
and the evidence of safety in small outdoor gatherings,
and i am beyond grateful for how things have worked out
and that i finally get to hug my friends tight
(touch being my romantic and platonic love language)
but i’ve lived a year and a half in unknowns
(we all have)
of trying to be as careful as possible and then some
knowing not everyone “believes” in this clearly observable fact,
this virus killing thousands (and leaving more with irreversible repercussions)
so i am used to being overly cautious
and this exploration into ‘normal’
…i am absolutely waiting for the other shoe to drop.
even more tired
this morning
than yesterday.
when’s the last time we stayed up
till past 2am?
i literally cannot remember.
we are the early-risers,
the morning people,
the dawn folk,
and yet
i come from the theater,
my job, my career, all my peers
are night owls
and as long as there are wide spaces between,
or at least an opportunity to nap
the following day,
it’s invigorating to feed off their energy
(and their Old Bay fries.)
wake up
in a new place
(having stayed up too late
in another new place)
but seeing old friends
is more than worth it.
travels usually take
hours upon hours upon hours
(our go-to vacation spots/chill with family spots
have historically taken 8-ish hours.)
(tack onto that traffic/stops with dog/
my tiny bladder/
mostly traveling in seasons bombarded with snow;
our bodies are prepared for travel
to be the only event in a day.)
so when a “vacation trip” takes four/four and a half hours
(five-fifteen with stops/the traffic that inevitably erupts around nyc)
there is an excess of energy when we arrive at our destination.
but the question for tonight was:
“is that enough to meet one young child and two toddlers?”
and the answer was,
unequivocally
“yes!”
[although the dog with bows through her fur
may profess otherwise]
looking forward
to being in Maryland
for many reasons
(one of which is being reunited with my
BROTHER)
(another is being able to hold
My Son
once more),
but also because
it means
i’ll have some travel
to poem about
to put into this
(originally conceived of)
travel
poetry
blog.
kipventures 