There was 36 of us, who all met up at Beijing airport for the first time. As the days of the tour went by we became a very happy and friendly “Australia Mob”, lots of fun and laughter together, and the comradeship of looking after each other, and making sure none of us were lost or feeling alone, was truly heartwarming. The above featured image, is of the whole crew at Tiananmen Square, on the first day of our trip.
Above, the crew at the Great Wall Of China, the Buddhist Temple, and bottom right photo, at a cafe/bar in Shanghai.
Above, on the left, myself with Barbara, my travel companion and a dear friend for many years (yes, we’re just friends), and on our canal cruise of Suzhou.
A Single Atom
I see a shooting star, traverse the full-moon
Like a jungle bush-fire, raging out of sight.
I feel the heat of midday, smothering the night.
Like a warm body, inside her tomb.
I see the dawn, without the golden sun.
Like a Lyrebird, singing all out of tune.
I hear the morning rain, without a cloud in the sky.
Like yesterday’s floods, leaving her high and dry.
I see a sandy beach, awash by a tidal wave.
Like a burning desert, water is her grave.
I fill lonely sheets, with empty dreams.
Like a dark chasm’s irrelevant beams.
I see a summer leaf, wilted by a frosty Autumn.
Like an unwatered orchid, opening to an old anthem.
I feel like a splintered heart, inside a single atom.
Like a snake’s dead skin, her rejected emblem.
Ivor Steven (c) 2018
Ivor.Plumber/Poet 