indicative expedition

traveling alone simply isn’t safe

you should have said. instead,

“i’d like some hand printed paper”

or perhaps a bracelet made by an orphan.

you should have warned me:

travel light

always carry a sweater

watch your back.

_______

when you sign over your soul

for a month in foreign lands,

they warn you things won’t always be

easy.

the water isn’t always cold,

or hot

rice is the staple you learn to

avoid

the natives will likely look your way.

they don’t tell you,

when you hand over thousands of dollars to

a man as old as your father,

that he is a thief.

that he will steal your safety in 

numbers, that he will rob you of your

credibility,

that your well-being is merely

disposable income for the game he

secretly loves.

they don’t tell you

“we won’t believe you”

when they preach the magic of

religion, the wrath of the gods,

the meditative therapies of 

the himalayas. 

they don’t tell you of the nightmare

you are about to relive.

__________

when you arrive sweaty off the plane,

full of promise and excitement,

they won’t warn you

of his black, beady eyes,

dirty crooked smile,

the smell of cigarettes

and humidity.

instead they say:

be wary of stray dogs

food vendors on the streets

bottled water with a broken seal;

they never said

sleep with one eye open,

keep abuse to yourself,

be submissive to ensure our comfort

and denial.

what they should have said is

be careful.

what they should have said is

be careful of us.