NoPoWriMo 2017 - Prompt #25 - Travel

Traveling in the ultimate vehicle - the Lunar Rover.
Used by astronauts to traverse the surface of the Moon.

Travel and poetry are classic partners.  There is so much great travel poetry out there I had a hard time deciding which I would include in this post!  You can take a look at this link for a full selection to browse.  But for now, consider these few lines, each of which shows a different aspect of the nature of travel:

Flying by Sarah Arvio

“In the face of technological fact,
even the most seasoned traveler feels
the baffled sense that nowhere else exists.”

Travel by Edna St. Vincent Millay

My heart is warm with the friends I make,
    And better friends I’ll not be knowing;
Yet there isn’t a train I wouldn’t take,
    No matter where it’s going.

The Burn by Naomi Shihab Nye

Such a swift lump rises in the throat when
a uniformed woman spits Throw it away!
and you tremble to comply wondering why
rules of one airport don’t match another’s,
used to carrying two Ziploc bags not just one
but your pause causes a uniformed man to approach
barking, Is there something you don’t understand?
and you stare at him thinking
So many things

Travel brings to mind so many experiences and images.  Travel can be as simple as stepping a few paces down the road, or as complicated as a rocket launching to the Moon.  Modes of travel include using feet, bicycles, buses, motor boats, rickshaws, carriages, horses, balloons, motorcycles, planes, wheelchairs, elephants, trucks, trains, camels, race cars, canoes, and much more.  The experience may be brief or long, exciting or dull, and well-trod or unknown.  It may have a goal or purpose, or may be done simply for the act of the travel itself.  There may be one destination, many, or none.  It can be done solo or with many people, and be done in haste or well thought out. 

Prompt #25:  Choose some aspect of travel and write a poem about it.  Consider the reasons why one might choose or need to travel, and the modes of transportation one might use.  Think about what might be seen on a trip.  Consider what it is like to deal with new experiences, like new languages, food, accommodations, manners, and more.  Both positive and negative feelings may be associated with any aspect of travel - why were these associations made?  Consider these questions as you craft your poem.  

For something more specific, use a memento from a past trip, a photo you took, or a particularly clear memory, as the inspiration for your poem.

I think I'll have an easy time working this prompt into one of my themes of sci-fi, horror, or fantasy.  Maybe a good, old fashioned broomstick ride :)

Happy Writing!

Prompts crafted by:
J.A. Grier, Senior Scientist and Education Specialist, Planetary Science Institute
Amy Grier, Managing Editor, Solstice Literary Magazine
Image Credits:  Lunar Rover, NASA