May 19/20 (part 2)

my other musings
on Machu Picchu
paint a picture
that may not be entirely accurate

i loved the stones
and the vastness
and the hike
and the mountains

i took hundreds of photographs
i smiled as i touched stones
stones that were put together so many years ago

houses that people lived in

and my brain began to wander

will there be a residence of mine
that will end up an archaeological site

will future generations walk the train tracks
the way they devoutly follow the IncaTrail,
still on their way to see ancient Machu Picchu

can it last, with the number of tourists
increasing every day?

(i wanted to sit and absorb the history
the spirituality
but my sunburn was getting worse
and the other people felt too close
and centuries away,

so we left and ate amazing food
and i pined for Machu Picchu
as our train followed those tracks
away)

May 20

when coming to Machu Picchu
many people call it a
‘bucket list trip’

to be there

to hike the entire Inca trail

it has also been called
‘a professional photographer’s dream’

and

‘spiritual’

but what happens when the busses
splattering mud
spewing diesel
cart tourists up and down that winding mountain road
all day long?

are we really experiencing something fantastic
before we die?
recording in image the beauty of long ago?
connecting spiritually to the past?

or are we simply a cog in a (money-making) machine?


how much of our respective ‘esposos’ can we talk about
and laugh
before the commonalities become apparent
and our wedding rings begin to look too similar?

(on homosexuality being illegal
but not necessarily punishable)

May 19

if my feet could pound air into my lungs
the way they pound steps into the ground
i wouldn’t suspect i have asthma.


kissed by a llama
hiking towards Machu Picchu

must be good luck