My Round the World Backpack
I always wanted
A round the world backpack
That I could stuff with love, with sad goodbyes,
Secret kisses, long sighs,
Expressions on faces, children's smiles,
My dog’s look, bereft,
The trembling of lips as I left.
I’d pull the straps tight
So nothing could escape.
And on the way I’d add
skylines, sunsets,
The woods after rain, hidden pools,
The greening of Spring,
The jingle-jangle mornings
With songs in my head
From the moment I wake.
And when I travel to the lonely places,
The long way from home places,
I can empty the backpack
And let the contents tumble out.
Spread them over the bed
In some anonymous hotel room.
Then open the curtains wide
And let them shine in starlight,
To brighten up the sad and sombre
Darkness of the mind.
A round the world backpack
That I could stuff with love, with sad goodbyes,
Secret kisses, long sighs,
Expressions on faces, children's smiles,
My dog’s look, bereft,
The trembling of lips as I left.
I’d pull the straps tight
So nothing could escape.
And on the way I’d add
skylines, sunsets,
The woods after rain, hidden pools,
The greening of Spring,
The jingle-jangle mornings
With songs in my head
From the moment I wake.
And when I travel to the lonely places,
The long way from home places,
I can empty the backpack
And let the contents tumble out.
Spread them over the bed
In some anonymous hotel room.
Then open the curtains wide
And let them shine in starlight,
To brighten up the sad and sombre
Darkness of the mind.
This poem first appeared on Brian’s Blog.
This poem is copyright (©) Brian Moses 2024
About the Writer
Brian Moses
Brian is an English poet who writes mainly for children. He has over 200 published works and has given over 3000 performances of his poetry and percussion show. His poetry books and anthologies for Macmillan have sold in excess of 1 million copies. He was asked by CBBC to write a poem for the Queen's 80th birthday and was invited by Prince Charles to speak at Prince’s Summer School for teachers at Cambridge University in 2007. Brian is Co-director of the Able Writers’ Scheme (now called the AIM High Writers' Scheme) which he founded in 2002.
Brian can be contacted at brianmoses.co.uk
