Vacationeer

There's something we crave
about traveling beyond where our legs could ever take us.

By going from the desolate dusty slopes
where light reflects off flakes
to produce a golden morning hue
reflecting among cheek and bridge
accenting squinted but focused eyes
buried beneath proper protection

to a palm tree paradise
where heat paints your face
and ball park lights hang like palm trees
above emerald green diamonds
that fill spring nights with warmth and sorcery

one can truly be transported to another world
among the world he's always known.

Because going somewhere new
is based more upon perspective
than whether or not you've already been
wherever it is you are going to be.

From slope solitude
shared only with those most gregarious lift partners
where stillness on the mountain is interrupted
only momentarily
by speeding polycarbonate planks
rushing over chopped and screwed trails
down intimate peaks
leaving behind golden clouds of smoke
and forcing altered sobriety
free of artificial influence

To another golden dream world
produced authentically by the intensity of the sun
where high times are enjoyed in full
throughout the heat of the day
and the warmth of the night
where desert oasis takes on new meaning
cacti and acacia compliment sand
and even green grass
where dusty luxury can be explained
and even justified

Many misconceptions cloud the true beauty of these landscapes
and much of their quality is vastly underappreciated

but not by the vacationeer
for he can do what the resident cannot
and return home having reclaimed his sanity