Different Slants

Note to my readers:

© November 5, 2011,

First written almost exactly six years ago, this was a nostalgic and philosophic reflection about not just traveling, but in Israel in May 2000 with Rick Munden immediately after my father Israel died, and I planted trees for him in Jerusalem. Bet they’re big trees, and shady now. We saw a lot. I probably drove Rick crazy.

This time, I am back in Israel, alone, because of the death of Joyce, wandering aimlessly around the country, wondering what to do. I keep wanting to call her, talk to her, about what amazing place I just saw.  Though I never planned it, ironically, now my title now includes both of them. I hope you connect with it.

I have been many places

Traveling alone

Traveling together

Sometimes both

Together’s better

Alone you choose

You come

You go

You pause

You contemplate

You share nothing

You have

Freedom’s

Isolation

You accommodate only yourself

The memories are yours

No one else will remember them

How tall was the mountain?

How beautiful was the river valley?

Do you remember:

the

Intricate brickwork

of that:

Church

Synagogue

Mosque

Shrine

Bridge

or the

Endless road from Rome?

 You better

No one else will

I have received kindness from

Available Strangers

When in trouble

Never to see them again in

Cologne

Paris

Frankfort

Montreal

Prague

Jerusalem

There will never be the sentence:

Do you remember when?

I may as well have been on

The Moon

For all anybody knew

A companion watches

Your back

Your luggage

Lets you sleep

Cheers you up

Is enthralled with you

Pissed off with you

Frightened with you

In the Eiffel Tower

At the Louvre

While you run to a bathroom

When you miss the

Train

Boat

Plane

When the stunning

French girl strolls by

When the nasty

French merchant

Snaps at you

When you see

All the Crosses and Stars

At Normandy

Takes your picture

Poses for you

Proves you were really there

Whenever

Wherever

You both remember

The crusty bread

The sensuous wine

The ocean of cheeses

The fish with pepper and lemon

The purple grapes stolen from a vine

The dark chocolate with almonds

The coconut gelato

You both remember

Crying in the cinema

The hush of the Cathedral

A meadow of flowers

So silent

You could hear the

Muddy brown creek

Slip by

Rippling

Hear the birds chirp

Hear the wind

Rushing past you

To be sick

Alone

In another country

Is very close to Hell

Maybe worse

When you return

Your friend may go away

But you will always know

Someone

Somewhere

Besides just you

 Remembers the day

When you saw

What you saw

And

How it was

When you were

Traveling together

Alone together

Far, far away

(to be continued…)

Driving in the Dark: Lost in Israel (part 1) https://www.differentslants.com/?p=3736

Bob in Israel: A Crusader Castle; The Tunisian Synagogue (part 2) https://www.differentslants.com/?p=3748

Marsha Michael, Who Solved My Problems in Israel (part 4) https://www.differentslants.com/?p=3771

Tel Aviv, Israeli radio and Unexpected Art (part 5) https://www.differentslants.com/?p=3796

Vad Yashem: Killing Millions of Children (part 6) https://www.differentslants.com/?p=3811

Chicago man Watches Death of Samurais in Israel (part 7) https//www.differentslants.com/?p=3846

Traveling Alone, Traveling Together (part 8) https//www.differentslants.co/?p=3865

An American Jew’s Bold New Plan for a Sane, Peaceful and Prosperous State of Palestine (part 9) https//www.differentslants.co/?p=3887

David’s Star in Israel (part 10)https//www.differentslants.co/?p=3907

Sleeping With the Bedouins (part 11-a) https://www.differentslants.com/?p=3962

Pleading with Fate in Jerusalem (part 12) https://www.differentslants.com/?p=3980

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