I have a friend who told me she is ‘traveled out’
I’ve not reached that point, although there’s only one place, Australia
Remaining on my bucket list of places I must see
But this morning I woke up to that day I reach on every trip: Wanting to be home
This happens every time I’ve traveled since retirement
But the flip side is that I never want the trip to end
And Korea makes this even harder because it’s one of my favorite places
I’m a coin today, with two sides, a different desire stamped on each
Standing on my edge where I’ll remain until I touch Hawaiian soil
It’s not a pendulum; I won’t wake up tomorrow wanting to be in my own bed more
This tension is a static point; from here on I’ll want to be in both places equally
I don’t believe it has anything to do with age or how much you’ve traveled; it’s a conundrum
In a week I’ll be home; that seems both a long and a short time
Long to be counting down the days to getting back
Short for the days counting down on my time in Korea
To be home, to be in Korea, each as much as the other
Time and desire mix a strange disorientation
A tug-of-war game never pulling to either side of the middle
Lanning Lee 