Prompt: If you had a free round-trip ticket to anywhere, where would you go?

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If the World Were My Oyster – there and back…

If the world were my oyster, where would I go?
Would I wander through a monk’s ancient cloister?
Would I stand on one toe, just to put on a show,
Or explore some far land, or perhaps something closer?

Would I stow away on a grand ocean liner?
Would I jump on a train and head somewhere new?
Or perhaps nothing finer, nothing much finer,
Than a winding green lane with a beautiful view?

But truth be told, I’d do none of those things,
I’d simply let my imagination take flight,
To wherever a fanciful daydream might bring,
Escaping the mundane, if only for a night.

I’d dream of Africa, India, Nepal,
The towering Himalayas, the Dead Sea down low,
Then fly off to Canada, Montreal and all,
Before slowly returning, with nowhere to go.

And if all else fails, as it probably will,
I’ll wander the park and feed the small birds,
Then come home for my tea, take my customary pill,
And sit down once more to write a few words.

A little editorial thought: I particularly like the contrast between the grand adventures of the imagination and the wonderfully ordinary conclusion. The tea, the pill and the few words are what give the poem its personality. I preserved that ending because it brings the whole piece gently back to earth, with a knowing smile.

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© Richard J Kirk  – 2026.

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