Somewhere Else
 
It really cannot be denied that home is where you're at your best.
To do some work or think a bit or simply to lie down and rest
You understand exactly where your every last possession lives
And give or take a day or two when George the budgie's birthday is.
 
But sometimes when I close my eyes and wallow in this Shangri-La
I can't escape that in the past I've traveled well and traveled far.
And trying hard with all my might to paint those days as black as pitch
I fail, and once again I feel that old familiar travel itch.
 
So let us say we'll take a trip to somewhere nice that we might choose
And equally we should decide which mode of transport we might use.
Walking, if it's not too far, or if it is we'd take the plane
Or drive there in our modest car or take the bus or ride the train.
 
On most occasions I would think a combination of these modes
Would serve us in a useful mix of feet and air and rails and roads.
So starting with an open mind and pen and paper close at hand.
I weigh the options one by one and so begins a master plan.
 
I write down "walking" for a start but very quickly realise
It isn't really practical with cases of the usual size.
With many many miles to cross, no matter how one perseveres,
To try to do it all on foot, well frankly it would take us years.
 
Instead a journey on a bus is something I might well have planned
They go to every town and village spanning right across the land
But riding in a public bus can often make you feel unwell
Not least because their toilet drains are guilty of a funky smell.
 
A better option comes to mind that's innocent of noxious airs
A motor car goes anywhere, without the need for paying fares
Alright that's hardly fair you say, and blatantly misleading talk
The price of fuel nowadays is fit to make a banker walk.
 
A train is yet another means to get you to your chosen place
Which opens up another can of problems you might have to face.
With strikes and engineering works to make us stamp and swear and cuss
And then to make it even worse we're back to riding on the bus.
 
The ultimate in travelling is riding in a silver plane
It gets you anywhere you wish and then it brings you home again
But oh that endless airport maze and luggage that may go astray
And crawling through security will ruin any holiday
 
So in the end I stay at home resolved to not go anywhere
I put my special headset on and settle in my comfy chair.
I visit YouTube's many sites regardless of legality
And travel anywhere I like in Virtual Reality.
 

Copyright Allan Bantick January 2018