Wishin' and Hopin'

Once upon a time I was a little girl with
Big dreams.
I had a notebook I duct taped and
Carved into the tape the word,
"ASPIRATIONS."

Onto the pages of the notebook
I wrote my aspirations:
To get married and honeymoon
In Antigua, where I taped a picture
Of the swimming hole I daydreamed about
That was in Antigua, complete with
A blissfully content couple floating together -
He on his back, she on his chest - in the
Crystal clear, placid, blue waters while
Flamingoes stood guard at a short distance,
On one leg, amidst elephant ears and
Other exotic flora, admiring the human couple
Coupling in the water that supported them
Like so many dollars in a never emptying bank account.

Hoping and wishing I would one day find myself and
My newlywedded husband in this photo - our reality
Just for a week - while flamingoes flamingoed and
Admired our conviviality.

I'm still wishing and hoping and aspiring for this picture
To be taken with me and my one true love in it.

Now penning poems house my aspirations not a
Picturesque pool, somewhere remote and romantic,
Nor a ranch style casita in the hills where my husband
Carries me over the threshold of our new home.

Words, words, words - Hamlet said and they
Say so much even in the one:
"ASPIRATIONS."