I want

the ultimate place

I want to wander
where languages shift
and every step brings me further
from home

I want to hike
to the top of a mountain
so I can sit for a long moment
breathing back the clouds
so I can take a god’s eye view
on the world

I want to feel the hum
of a paddleboat
below my feet
and his hands rubbing my shoulders
while the sun rises over the Mississippi

I want to be the stranger
haunted and tall
who just rode into town
with a revolver across her saddlebags

I want to spend my time
in a eerie castle
dancing with ghosts
until the hair on my head
stands silver and proud

I want to check into the
penthouse suite alone
and make friends with the concierge
the soul of discretion
who holds the final clue
that will stop me from stealing
the most perfect diamond in the world

I want
Europe and Egypt
Atlantis and Oz
the wilds of space
and the mystery of Merlin’s cave
everywhere and everywhen
so I curl up at home
finding the universe within new pages
my greatest adventure