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A Caravan Oft Taken
by Kristina Woodhill
Camels I knew when I was a kid
Had one hump, not two, one hump, not two;
Four cushioned feet and the softest lashed lids,
Their eyes were as brown as the deep;
Camels I knew when I was a pup
Had big yellow teeth, grinding big teeth;
They'd grumble and mutter and spit in big cups,
Then casually, calmely sleep;
Camels I knew when I was a girl,
Walked with the sway of the restless hot sands;
The wind's mighty puffs would carve swishes, then swirl
Under fly-whisking tails just to tease;
Camels, I hear, long before I could walk,
Were loved by the mountains and wed;
Now one, a honeymoon wish was a caravan long,
To visit their cousin, the sea;
Before I am rooted and staid, my love bold,
Before my boots rot in the soil,
Before crags and crannies of stone veins take hold,
Please journey this journey for me.
Oh, think of the things we will see, my strong love,
Oh, think of the things we will see! 08/03/2011
Author's Note: An answer to Paganini's "silliness" thread in the General forum. I appreciate how she sends my mind in different directions.
Posted on 08/03/2011
Copyright © 2024 Kristina Woodhill
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by George Hoerner on 08/04/11 at 01:12 PM Cute Kristina but I'm afraid the only Camels I recall as a young one are the ones we lit and stamped out if we heard our parents near. |
| Posted by Ken Harnisch on 08/04/11 at 04:10 PM Whimsical and silly and darn near enchanting, Kristina! |
| Posted by Joan Serratelli on 08/04/11 at 07:33 PM I read the post in the forum.You took it and ran with it. Very cute- great imagry. Great work (as per ALWAYS) |
| Posted by Glenn Currier on 08/31/11 at 11:50 PM Clever and creative piece, Kristina. You had me traipsing all over the Sahara with you on this one, looking into those eyes. Especially like the bit about visiting their cousin the sea. The whole thing sings and rings like a nursery rhyme or a Dr. Seuss book. Great write, fun read. Thanks. |
| Posted by James Unger on 09/03/11 at 03:33 PM Hi Kristina: it's a good one, really good. Glenn says it sings and rings like Dr. Seuss, but I would have said like RLS. It's that good.
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| Posted by Elizabeth Jill on 10/25/11 at 05:21 PM Whenever and whatever you write, you have a gift for bringing me to the experience as if I'm in it first hand :D |
| Posted by Lori Blair on 11/30/11 at 11:31 PM Well I must say the very same to you..you take me to places I think I once read by Dr. Seuss..an adventure I experienced with words..lovely! |
| Posted by Steven Craig on 09/02/13 at 03:50 AM I was there, for more serious reasons... taking those camels on the high passes, Kabul to Herat, taking risks, taking watch, but the camels, they knew the road and the snows so well and the desert not. They were the silk road travels' spawn, and seemingly in their genes, they carried me and my life many times along that trail... til the Russians came, and the asphalt filled track now called a road turned them away.
Steven |
| Posted by Gail Wolper on 08/08/14 at 11:55 PM Incredibly beautiful. Your vision took me far away |
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