Sails of the Mind – Kathryn Sadakierski

If I could be anywhere,

I would be sundrenched,

On the beaches of the Mediterranean,

Bordered by orange and lemon trees,

Sprawling green leaves

In vases of white and blue,

Looking out on a terrace

At the teal coverlets of ocean,

Its long dress unspooling

In waves onto the sand

That cradles my toes,

Without burning the soles

Of the feet that carry me

Somewhere.

Then I would venture on north,

To cozy cottages on water,

Pastel gingerbread,

Fairytales incarnate,

Hansel and Gretel

In the flesh,

Glaciers arching their arms

Protectively around the ocean,

Fjords,

Lights glittering

On the water through the bridge

At night,

When the storybook village

Is star-lined,

Words underscored

By the moon.

I would go everywhere

I’ve ever dreamed,

All the places I’ve traveled to

In the pages I’ve read,

Felt, inside,

Practically seen,

And wanted to be.

The sails of the mind

Carry you further than feet,

Than planes or boats,

Cars or trains,

The imagination

Spinning new yarns of story

From the kaleidoscope pieces

Of your heart

Like blown glass

Worlds, spheres of influence.

But even if I could choose

Anywhere,

Highways across the country

Calling me,

Maps sprawling

Beckoning me

Internationally,

I would never know

Just where to go

First.

I would contemplate

The atlases

In my own backyard,

And as the winds

Ruffled my hair,

The pages,

Affectionately,

And I put down the books,

Travel guides,

Magazines, brochures,

I would drink in the sunset,

Skeins of color

Weaving through my bones,

Lifting the sails

Of my mind,

The imagination

That can carry me

Further than my feet,

And it is like I am adventuring,

Voyaging,

Dreaming,

Again,

Traveling through

Hopes and memories,

Knowing that all I could want to see

Is already around me,

So much beauty

In my own backyard,

That I could stay here,

In this moment,

And be happy.

Kathryn Sadakierski’s writing has appeared in Critical Read, DoveTales, Halfway Down the Stairs, Literature Today, NewPages Blog, Northern New England Review, Origami Poems Project, seashores: an international journal to share the spirit of haiku, Snapdragon: A Journal of Art and Healing, Spillwords, Teachers of Vision, The Voices Project, Visual Verse, Yellow Arrow Journal, and elsewhere. She holds a B.A. from Bay Path University, and is currently pursuing her master’s degree.

From the kaleidoscope piecesOf your heartLike blown glass Worlds, spheres of influence.But even if I could choose Anywhere,Highways across the countryCalling me,Maps sprawling Beckoning me Internationally,I would never knowJust where to go First. I would contemplate The atlasesIn my own backyard,And as the winds Ruffled my hair,The pages, Affectionately,And I put down the books,Travel guides, Magazines, brochures,I would drink in the sunset,Skeins of color Weaving through my bones,Lifting the sailsOf my mind,The imaginationThat can carry meFurther than my feet,And it is like I am adventuring,Voyaging,Dreaming,Again, Traveling throughHopes and memories,Knowing that all I could want to seeIs already around me,So much beautyIn my own backyard,That I could stay here,In this moment,And be happy.