As various cruise guests disembark from the ship; anxious to get to their prepaid excursions, to sight see and to pick up little mementos for friends and loved ones, I go in the opposite direction. I seek to find a book store and a coffee shop. As I strolled throughout the streets of Alaska, everything is similar to back home. Everything except for the GINORMOUS mountains with their white peaks and occasional hidden waterfalls.
Ahhh, there it is. A little used bookstore off the beaten path. As I enter to find one employee and one customer, I politely interrupt and asked about the poetry section. It was as small as a P.O. Box, but one good poem is all you need. Right?
Lo' and behold, I found a treasure for only $3. "Patchwork Poetry" by Dorothy Harley. The book is 33 years old and it's all mine. I headed to the coffee shop to get a cup of java, a light dessert and to sit in the corner...and hopefully go unnoticed.
It was indeed my moment of bliss. I'm in Juneau, Alaska on my birthday, seated in a coffee shop reading poetry. Wow.
Here is one of the little treasures inside her book:
Contentment
I've found a bit o' Heaven
just sittin' on my dock,
Soaking up the sunshine -
Gazing at the rocks -
Loving every bird that flies,
Each pretty weed that flowers -
Watching lazy clouds drift by -
Enjoying every hour;
I may not be a boon to man -
But happy being what I am?