#passports
We came upon slowing traffic.
Inside the bus
Standing passengers were thrown
and grips tightened
as we edged forward across
the unfinished road.
We passed the sun-glassed
occupants of cars and busses
and the rolled-up sleeves
of lorry drivers who's
tanned arms hung out
of every window, and
who's fingers tapped
an unheard tune.
I stooped to stare at the
dancing distance of
the baked tarmacked
highway.
Our eyes stung and wet
The metalled road blazed.
Our approaching gaze silent.
Gripped passports Identity papers
rosary- beads
-Letters of transit -
not needed;
The border did what most
borders do-
and shrugged us through.
Laughter becomes all languages.
Later that afternoon,
I sipped from the glass I held.
Jez turned to me and asked,
"Is this what it's like to be drunk?"
I smiled as I slid my wine towards her...
...
words and foto T Carroll..
Apr 3, 2015
Apr 3, 2015 at 10:27 PM UTC
I think the world is too big for us sometimes. We are stuck in specific spots of the world, and often borders and airplanes limit us from discovering the neighbhouring country. It’s funny sometimes our big world is too small for many.
Jun 8, 2018
Jun 8, 2018 at 1:33 AM UTC
I wear a ring of wedding
a tiny thing, a golden circle
that glows on my finger with
the sparkle of God’s gilded sun
let such beauty itself proclaim
to the wandering eyes of man
that I have no use of nettling admirers
that I live under wedded sovereignty
and tame their interest and superior want
but in somber secret
let apologies be made
for I fly under false color
I have taken no vow
the thing is a lie, a cheat,
a passport to peace
that I wear like a shield
against some fair suitor’s caprice
.
.
A song for this:
When will we be married by The Waterboys
Wedding Bell Blues by Laura Nyro
Mar 1
Mar 1, 2026 at 9:37 AM UTC