Yearning to Go

inside my heart yearns to be free
to travel to countries beckoning me
to see with my eyes such wondrous sights
as the sky when it glows with the northern lights
I want to hear the song of the humpback whale
and hike where fallen teardrops covered the trail
I want to see glaciers where the howling wind blows
and ride an elephant where the rainforest grows
I want to hear the sound of the eagle’s screech
and without a saddle ride a horse on the beach
I want to explore sunken treasures beneath the seas
and stand in a forest of huge redwood trees
I want to see bright tulips as the windmill turns
and watch tribal dances as the campfire burns
I want to ride a gondola through the canals
and safari where the king of the jungle prowls
I want to roam through houses cliff dwellers built
and see the tower that stands at a tilt
I want to see the castles of kings and queens
and visit the opera where the phantom sings
I want to see lighthouses that brought ships safely home
and see the famous chapel with the hand painted dome
I want to visit the fields where battles were fought
and stand in the places where Socrates taught
I want to see the lands painted by the hands of Monet
and see burial grounds where entombed mummies lay
I want to see the cathedrals where saints rest their heads
and walk along sacred pathways where Jesus has tread
I want to stand in the mysterious circle of stones
and sail through the triangle of strange occurrences unknown
I want to see the pyramids surrounded by sand
and hear the language spoken in my ancestor’s land
if all this I have seen when it is my time to die
there will be no need for sorrow, no need to cry
I will be content to know that I have been
not a guest of this world, but an intimate friend

* first published in Splizz (England) in June 2004