It’s the time of year when lots of people travel to far off places, struggle with visas, foreign languages (we learn at least ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ in the appropriate language before we go), currency exchange, etc.. Then there’s the fun of living there, in a rental apartment or b&b, an hotel, navigating buses or trains, maps, and sending postcards …
POSTCARD FROM LISBON
with aching arms I shove
the stroller over cobbles
up our narrow alley
wish you were here
to give weight
carry groceries
promise dinner out
we’d eat by the river
at Zanos’
drink cheap red wine
watch tourists click
smiles for each other
one in red check shirt
looks beyond me
plodding mum
sees picturesque view
he could help push
To Bethlehem: ‘This little book is delightful, full of … poems on this timeless subject. … the most fun is the little prose vignettes of the common people in the Christ-child story. The slave who looks after the wise men’s camels, or the overworked maid at the inn who has to fetch water for the birth, and many more. A lovely gift for the reader on your Christmas list!’ Rosalind Adams. Available from Amazon and Kindle.