Dogs 2021

Souvenirs
(2/6/2021)

Brother Bollocks
quite enjoyed
the family vacations
of his youth

his parents
made an extreme
effort
to show him
and his sister
the many wonders
of their country

mountains

deserts

valleys

oceans

national parks

national monuments

other points
of interest

but
Brother Bollocks
more enjoyed
the journeys

the accoutrements
of each trip

the manmade
memorabilia

dog eared
maps

battered
bridges

dented
road signs

low rent
motels

greasy
diners

people would
point to a peak
and he would
see only
a printed
elevation

a rusting
pickup
instead
of the drifting
sands

a cracked
parking lot
instead
of a canyon

the litter
upon a beach
instead
of the sea

vending
machines

roadside
rest areas

dilapidated
buildings
of long dead
former inhabitants

all of those
extraneous distractions
held more interest
than the actual
attractions

in them
Brother Bollocks
sensed the impermanence
of human endeavors

the fragility
of each person

the weakness
within himself

all of those
impressive landmarks
would be there
long after
he was gone

he felt
no kinship
with such
superior
structures

but a battered
cardboard box
blowing across
a remote highway

he could
relate
to that