poetic journeys: óbidos stroll

Óbidos Stroll

Parting ways with the insistent gloom,
     and a church filled with pages of stories,
          we slipped off the wet cobbled streets into Ibn Errik Rex.
     Inside, Sagres beers lulled us as we sat under ancient arches
and domed mosques hand-painted on the walls.

Later, we climbed atop the muro,
     circling the bougainvillea-adorned whitewashed village
          that hunkered, peeling, under tiled roofs,
     beneath umbrellas of frazzled palms and ebullient cacti.
Back in the medieval lanes, we wandered past windows framed 

in faded roses and ivy-filled pots carved with stern bearded faces,
     like admonitions peering out from a leafy curtain. Vintage
          vehicles on a window ledge promised nostalgic
     wanderings: a basketed bicycle, a pink convertible,
a Fiat stacked with surfboards, a Streetcar named Lisboa. 

The years swirled around us, effervescent and fleeting.
     We savored them in the Ginjinha d'Óbidos, 
          a bright red liqueur served in chocolate cups,
     which we gobbled down after gulping,
as if we could never get enough.

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“POETRY” Invitation:  I invite you to write a poem of any poetic form on your own blog about a particular travel destination.  Or you can write about travel in general. Concentrate on any intention you set for your poetry.

My intention for my trip to Portugal was to write several list poems (see p. 59: Getting the Knack). 1) Take a stroll and jot what you see; 2) Turn them into images; 3) Transform some images into metaphors; 4) Write a “trip” poem based on the events, things and metaphors from your walk.

You can either set your own poetic intentions, or use one of the prompts I’ve listed on this page: writing prompts: poetry.  (This page is a work in process).  You can also include photos, of course.

Include the link in the comments below by Thursday, September 5 at 1:00 p.m. EST.  When I write my post in response to this challenge on Friday, September 6, I’ll include your links in that post.

This will be an ongoing invitation, on the first Friday of each month. Feel free to jump in at any time. 🙂

I hope you’ll join in our community. I look forward to reading your posts!