ROMANTICISM

when the living gets easy
as it sometimes does
when there is money in the bank
good food in the fridge
and a few bottles of wine on the rack

those are the times I always think
of running away

the times when it sounds very romantic
to hit the road and wander
live out of a backpack
and bum it from town to town

but I’m quicker to remind myself
these days
that it’s not all
that it’s cracked up to be

eating a single meal a day
trying to find work that isn’t there
ghosting around cities
while everyone else sits in restaurants and bars
not even noticing you pass by

there’s nothing too special
about being broke
and wondering where you’ll sleep at night
plenty of people have been doing it
for time immortal

most will tell you
it’s scary and frustrating
humiliating

and at it’s best
you become used to it

at its worst
you starve slowly and die

but then, there has always been something romantic
about death