on the road again
home is where i hang my heart
and line up my shoes
(2011; In the Heights tour)
anywhere, a haiku:
as you make your way
home is where you hang your heart
and find peace of mind
(2018; Hamilton tour)
Although I often limit myself to 17 syllables at a time (less overwhelming, I’ll actually finish a haiku, and maybe people will read the whole thing), I want to share my travel and artistic adventures in >17-syllable form.
First impressions are usually the most vivid:
Portland is living in the future! (My reaction upon booping my phone against a small pillar to pay for the train with ApplePay.) Portland has lot of men with facial hair (like Seattle). Portland’s uber drivers all seem to be middle-aged white men (unlike Seattle).
Salt Lake City: the Mormon influence can be seen in the kiddie stepstools by the sinks in the airport bathrooms and the fact that the town reeeeally takes a Sabbath - even the mall shuts down. Religion: 1; Capitalism: 0. Well, Hamilton still packed the house on Sundays, so never mind. You just have to plan more carefully where to eat because many places are closed.
Costa Mesa: Sunshine! Strip malls! Palm trees! And cars. Being a pedestrian in Southern California is basically a game of Frogger.
And so on…
ride with me across
varied landscapes and customs
out of many, one