Atlas

I am 70
Searching
In each new
Dusty old book
Store in each new
Country my ship stops
At for a High School atlas
To see how each country sees
Itself so the French atlas first page
Shows areas of the world that are
French speaking while the British
Atlas first shows their English
Speaking commonwealth
The Spanish first shows
Arial photography of
Spain and the USA
The major world
Trade networks
And so on as
Each state
Has its
Own
Unique
Perspective
Much like the
People I meet on
Each ship and port
See themselves from
Their own perspective
And eager to share and
I am reminded of the thin
Lady in Baltimore who helped
Me get my TSA approval who was
At first full of black belligerence
At my ignorance and lack of
Awareness of who and just
Where I was in a rough
Part of town but with
Whom I made a new
Friend talking with
Her for hours on
A slow day until
She reached
Across her
Desk to
Touch
My
Hand
And said,
“I don’t much
Like folks but I could
Just talk to you all day.”