we decided after leaving the city
to take a nature walk. Mr. Google
said there was a trail nearby
on Irrigation Road, we followed
directions, ended up at a grey
concrete building with a dead cactus
in front. False start.
It turned out to be admin headquarters,
the trail being 6.2 miles in the opposite direction.
Mr. Google grinned wickedly. When finally
we reached our destination, our angst
at Mr. Google dissipated into fingers
of cypress and pin oak, our feet cushioned
by seasons of leaves and soft brown earth. I confess
to feeling a bit of apprehension at the quiet
with only the echoes of bird calls and soft
rustlings of creatures in the bush. Years of city
life have programmed me to be suspicious,
always watching for danger, years
of wandering the woods far behind me.
I missed the familiarity and mourned the loss.
***
Shared on d’Verse Poets Pub, Open Link night
Charlotte Hamrick 
Maybe Mr. Google knew you had to be eased into it. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha! Apparently. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s an odd thing this obsession with SatNav n’ all that. My dad had a phenomenal sense of direction, he would never get lost. Now he won’t leave the house without plotting his route. Funny to give up something so natural to us for the comfort of tech.
i don’t drive so i doubly don’t understand. Every attempt i ever made to get lost, which included hitchhiking around France & Germany, made me realize that, it is exceptionally difficult to get lost, that it is in the end, subjective. When i lived in Seoul i would flaneur alone & my wife would call & ask where i was & i’d say, “i dunno.” She’d be furious, but i wasn’t lost, i just didn’t know where i was. haha.
LikeLike
I always use Google maps when I’m going to an unfamiliar area. I’ve always been horrible with directions and orienting myself, especially when driving and I never understood maps. But, fortunately, once I’ve been somewhere I can usually get there again. Lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amazing how much we can grow dependent on the city… nature should be the normal.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I couldn’t agree more, Bjorn. Thanks for stopping by!
LikeLike
That’s a catchy title, Charlotte! I’m not a huge fan of sat navs but have used one. Ours is Ms Google and she has a bullying tone to her voice, a bit like a dominatrix (not that I’ve ever experienced one!). I certainly wouldn’t trust her to take me for a nature walk. However, I enjoyed yours!, including the grey
concrete building with the dead cactus, ‘fingers of cypress and pin oak’ and ‘the quiet / with only the echoes of bird calls and soft / rustlings of creatures in the bush..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the kind words, Kim! It’s amazing what cars can do nowadays! (Oh, I feel old, saying that!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
So love these lines:
of cypress and pin oak, our feet cushioned
by seasons of leaves and soft brown earth
and these
with only the echoes of bird calls and soft
rustlings of creatures in the bush
AND the final line.
Beautiful writing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Vera, thank you so much. I’m happy you enjoyed the poem. ❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Charlotte. I’m wondering if you might write something for me for my new novel, a Spy-Thriller, I will be self-publishing. You are inspiring and I’ve followed you for many years now with poetry and such. I am asking a few folks in hopes of having some encouraging words written that I can put in the front of the novel. Maybe someone will read my book because they have heard of you. Thanks if you can. And no problem if you cannot. Caroline
LikeLiked by 1 person
Caroline, email me at avaccoffey at gmail. I’d be happy to help you out. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I always bring my phone with me and increasingly an extra battery just in case I take too many photos and want to take more. I’ve had problems with Google’s navigation also, but mostly it is better than I am.
LikeLike