Arlington

Wednesday was my first day as an official tourist – you know one of those guys taking pictures out of a tour bus window. After decent nights sleep, a fairly routine morning of spiritual reading, mediation, checking email & chatting with some local lads I headed out an little after 9 a.m. Hailed cab (I’m a bit unsure of being called boss by cabbies though) to take the torun. Address on voucher was wrong 😦 but I was a block away from right one.Fun tour guides & I saw sites that I’ll spend more time in on my last few days here. Took lots of pics – this is a amazing city for architecture. The transfer to Arlington was at the Lincoln Memorial & was right there when we arrived so I opted to jump on &b take Lincoln pictures when I got back. managed to keep hydrated & thanks to 110 sun screen not too burnt – people burn in shade when the sun is this fierce.Washroom break at Arlington & bought a few things as the gift shop – ooh a fridge magnet. Next leg was the guided tours of the cemetery. I was really touched by the symmetry of the endless rows of white tombstones. A few had a single rose draped over the top which, for some reason, feel very Walk Witman.

Clicking away happily so I’d have lots for blog purposes when 😦 😦 my Fuji camera freezes – the notice please turn off camera &b take of lens cap – came on when there was NO lens cap on – I was taking too many pics to keep putting it on. This happened before shortly after I bought the Fuji & it took 6 weeks for repairs, this time I’ll leave it behind in a garbage can & buy a better quality when I get back TO.I tackled the Metro system to get back to my hotel. I guess the 110 makes me very white so I got offered seniors discount 🙂 It took a bit of figuring out how the prepay process works – I think I know it now. Starbucks for my first coffee of the trip & back to the hotel to wash off sunblock & relax for a while.

After an hour son the phone with Expedia trying sort out the super shuttle mix up – it’s clearly my fault for letting Expedia books a return flight from a different airport than the arrival – so I lose my return shuttle costs & have booked, directly a return shuttle. Next year I may skip Expedia for flights & only use it for hotels.

Had a great supper at Annie’s steakhouse with one of the local lads I’d connected with. Finally a burger, finally a real meal too. Great conversation about DC, movies, & Capturing Fire. But no chemistry – probably due to my lack of papered education & more likely because I only drank a cranberry juice. Annie’s makes great cocktails & I guess have a couple would have been the only way to get a little. Thanks but no thanks. Besides he picked up the bill.

another piece I may present on the open Fire mics.

On Watching Straight Porn with A Gay Guy

I try to be amenable

let you express your needs

in ways that don’t go too against my grain

but don’t expect me to enjoy

what you enjoy

while it’s tedium for me

<>

I like to see that look on your face

as you drift into that zone

don’t get me wrong

this process of yours

is harmless and irrelevant to me

and the fact is it doesn’t do for me

what it does for you

doesn’t mean I’m judging you

or judging the object of your interest

<>

I can’t get into it

have tried often enough with you

and it leaves me more tired than aroused

I’ve never been one to look when

I can just reach out and touch

you seem to think that it’s

this image or this face

that isn’t working for me

but trust me that’s not it at all

<>

what doesn’t work

is that I should be enough

that this outside train of stimulation

that pulls you along into action

takes too much of your focus

takes too long to get ready for play

there are somethings I don’t say

because it isn’t really that important

in the long run

you aren’t the One

<>

but maybe if you didn’t have

this particular pleasure fascination

I might find you more than sweet

I’m not going to make demands

that you change to suit my particular wants and needs

so I try to be amendable

to your harmless quirk

till you smarten up and see

I have in less and less interest in

the screen or to you

Hey! Now you can give me $$$ to defray blog fees & buy coffee the next time I’m in Washington – sweet,eh? paypal.me/TOpoet