Circuitous Course
by Gregory A. Kompes
I strolled along your craggy shore
Searched for shells, learned your lore
Waves crashed, suns rose high
With every breath, I longed to soar
I danced in puddles with friends at the fair
Home for rainy weeks, deluge of time to spare
Fell in love and out, celebrated romance
The remembrance of them my only souvenir
I witnessed as close as anyone might
Rushing waters, illustrious falls, inspirational rites
Flood never ceasing, encounters teamed, splashed
Yet, no mementos remain, except memory’s sprite
I ascended the summit into cathedral domes
Traversed underground crypts, stately homes
Great museums admired; countryside navigated
Wish more’d been captured in paint, pixels, or tomes
I read great books, sang masters’ songs
Believed in gods, performed for throngs
Published a few words, hoping they mattered
Always expecting more, my beating heart longs
I traveled the world, experience my wake
Loved, lost, won, knew hate; been original, fake
Sold, bartered, stole, gave; what a circuitous course
Like others before, fading memories my only keepsake
