An Excursion

 

Some wish to spend a day on the London Eye

sufferers from vertigo a day at the seaside

Hot air ballooning has become increasingly popular

whilst pot-holing has fallen into decline

I suffer from a severe psychological addiction

and obsessive disorder from which there is no remedy

My excursions are quite exclusive in content

their destinations many but all the same

I am a closet second hand book freak

my trophies are hoarded as the bounty of a magpie

I usually sally forth with a packed lunch

whilst fellow travellers have buckets and spades

completely alone as any company would be intrusive

I raid my piggy bank for surplus change

then begins my foray into the realms of literature

As I approach the destination of my sacred excursion

my eyes become glazed as my heart skips a beat

Once inside I savour a celestial moment of bliss

I drift from shelf to shelf, subject to subject

blowing away the dust of years

This odyssey is only punctuated by taking purchases to the cashier

with whom a large quantity of supermarket bags have been placed

I lose all track of time as my sandwiches begin to curl

not even the thought of a pint touches my gullet

Minutes, hours are wiled away until I am warned of closing time

Crestfallen I collect my heavily laden prizes and

begin the journey home, brimming with a satisfied joy

Once indoors I unpack and inspect the plunder

I glance anxiously at already creaking shelves

Yet undaunted sufficient room is readily found

I sleep soundly inside a volume of dreams

I had forgotten to do one important task

a postcard for friends at home