When I was growing up in Chicago in the 1940s and '50s, my family didn't travel often: vacations cost money, something in short supply. After World War II, my parents' first car, a black '39 Chevy, took us to a few exotic places from which we sent back post cards (for one cent postage) to family and friends. Those folks, some of whom traveled extensively, sent back many postcards containing alluring pastel images of exotic places I hungered to see myself. The back side had just enough room for an address and brief clich? "Having a wonderful time!" "Wish you were here!" "Greetings from California!" I stored them in a shoebox, occasionally flipping through them and imagining myself reveling in those faraway places. Later, as I visited 49 states and 24 countries, I discovered that postcards didn't allow room to discuss the emotional and reflective aspects of travel: what it does and doesn't do for one's soul. Nor were they adequate to attest to odysseys of the mind. Few people send postcards anymore. But the sentiments expressed on Facebook and Instagram remain the same. The poems in this book represent unsent postcards from outward, inward, and chimeric journeys of my life, and, regretfully, some not taken.
| Author: Nelson Sartoris |
| Publisher: ArsPoetica |
| Publication Date: Aug 22, 2022 |
| Number of Pages: 206 pages |
| Language: English |
| Binding: Paperback |
| ISBN-10: 1942016719 |
| ISBN-13: 9781942016717 |
