Fernweh.

It’s not your fault,

but the irony is not lost on me.

It’s not your fault that I got a double dose of wanderlust

my family tree is full of pirates, sailors and wreckers on one side

drovers, vagabonds and swag men on the other.

there will be no tying me down.

but that’s just family stories you say, there’s no proof

true, there are no traces, they died on the high seas, in ditches or out on the moors.

The few who where honoured with a church yard burial were never nailed down with stone or cross. They traveled lightly, my forbears.

It’s not your fault that I cannot resist the pull of the horizon,

be it on a boat, train, plane, or on foot step by single step

the need to travel is only beaten by the need to breathe.

It’s not your fault.

Oh, but how I fester and seethe,

You send me photos of music festivals, bonfires on the beach and the latest from your road trip.

You, who chose safety, have freedom

I who chose to roam, find myself in lockdown.With only the government sanctioned exercise to sooth me.

It’s not your fault.

But the irony is not lost on me.