A blog on poetry, money, life and travel
This weeks featured poem is from a fellow poet, Feathertail. Once they sent me this poem, I just had to share! The contrast between different emotions evicts such a strong, twisted feeling when read through start to finish.
Let me know your thoughts on the poem in the comments below and be sure to check out more poems on the site. Link is down below:
My favorite place in the entire world is at the top of Dude Mountain. If you take a winding dirt road through mountain rimmed valleys on Revillagigedo island, you’ll come to the trail head. The ascent is 1500 feet to the summit along a 1.5 mile trail through the Tongass National Forest. At the top is the most gorgeous place on Earth.
I’ve circumnavigated the world and have still never been anywhere this breathtaking. Every time I go up, I still get my breath taken away and still take pictures like a mad tourist.
When you come to the final push to the summit, you stumble through a path lined with valleys on both sides lined with flowers. It literally feels like you’ve stepped into a scene from Lord of the Rings. If you ever find yourself in Ketchikan, Alaska, this is a MUST SEE.
Surrounded by so much beauty, I had to write some poetry! Below are some haikus I wrote inspired by my climbs on Dude Mountain.
Haikus are Japanese and follow a specific format and often portray scenes from nature.
Format: 3 lines
1st line (5 syllables) 2nd line (7 syllables) 3rd line (5 syllables)
Have you written any poetry involving nature or have been to Dude Mountain? Let me know in the comments below or send me an email. I’d love to hear them. <3
Every adventure starts out with the unknown. Minimize the avoidable mishaps by reading the 10 things I wish I knew before my first adventure.
#1 – Buy a wall adapter! This is an absolute must for those traveling overseas. What a shock it was when my phone was at 3% at the hotel in the Netherlands ready for bed and my adapter didn’t plug into the wall! Buy one ahead of time and save yourself the headache and $$$ overseas. Don’t know which one to buy? I recommend buying a universal adapter, that way you’re prepared for anything!
#2 – Start an art/regular travel journal. I started this waayyy to late into my travels! I didn’t have anything fancy when I started-just a pen and two highlighters. But even now looking back, I love my entries where I captured that view going through the Suez or my documentation I of the conversations in the restaurant in Sri Lanka. Check Pinterest for some inspiration for your journal!
#3 – Don’t pack more than one pair of jeans. Two if you’re really a jean person. Seriously, you don’t need more than that. Pack light and efficient. It depends on the climate and place, but in general, pack a pair of jeans, khaki/black pants, yoga pants and sweats/shorts (for pajamas in case the hotel is cold/warm!)
#4 – Bring the following: a rain jacket (you never know when it will start pouring), a small backpack (for hands-free day trips), comfy shoes (so you don’t cut any day short due to tired feet) and a lock (for lockers at hostels/hotels).
#5 – Cash is king – hide a wad somewhere. You’ll never know what kind of situation you’ll end up in. Be prepared for an unfortunate circumstance. Hide a stash of a hundred or so somewhere not easily accessible. This way, in the worst case scenario where you lose your wallet or your credit card gets eaten by an ATM, you’re not suddenly having the worst day ever.
#6 – Set the intention. Why are you traveling? Is it to discover the most perfect cafe or is it to get the adrenaline rush you’ve been craving? Setting up what’s important to your travels can help you narrow down plans for the day.
#7 – Balance your indoor and outdoor activities. Get the whole experience a place has to offer! Take an afternoon to roam the streets and sit in the parks. Then in the evening, enjoy a show or a fancy diner.
#8 – Do money conversions about a week before you go. Airports charge a larger fee when you arrive. Save money and head to the bank a week or so before the trip.
#9 – Skip big souvenirs. For the obvious reasons, large keepsakes are cumbersome to haul around a drag back to your home. Opt for postcards or jewelry! Postcards can double as cute pieces of art in frames. Jewelry from around the world will remind you of all your fun times when you accessorize – also can become fun conversation pieces!
#10 – Read a book set in the place you’re headed to. This creates more of a connection to the place before you get there. Then when you finally arrive, you can experience the novel in a more first hand experience.
What are your travel tips you wish you knew before you set out? Let me know in the comments below!
Below is a poem about setting out on the first adventure. Hope it sparks your wanderlust <3
Off and Away Should the yearning prove to be too great to endure leave swiftly without a trace This way I know that your desperation exceeded your fear of my disapproval All I ask Is that when you take the first few paces out into the unknown Savor that initial sensation of detachment Notice how your feet fly freely beneath you now that they are unchained from a dwelling Notice how the air prickles your lungs stiff with change and boundless possibilities Notice how your soul flutters wildly now that you are hummingbird freed from a confine Solidify that moment into your very being So when you’re ridden with longing for the comfort in the familiar and your enticed to make the return voyage home before the exploration begins You’ll think back to the glory of the beginning And you’ll find the strength to endeavor on This way when you finally come back home to me you will not tell me a story of defeat but of magnificent victory from your adventures off & away - Poetic Peach
If you’d like to read more poems, check out my poem collection here: https://poeticpeach.com/category/poetry/
Do you have any poetry on travel? I’d love the read it! Send them my way.
Hope to see you soon! 🙂
Happy Sunday to my poets out there!
This is a poem that makes me envision those lazy Sunday afternoons after a nice cat nap. Sometimes it’s just nice to stay in bed and not having the constant pressure of obligations and ever pressing time weighing on you.
Sundays are notorious for being the perfect days for those ‘hard resets’. Some things that help with resetting are:
What are your favorite ways to reset on Sunday?
Let me know in the comments below or feel free to shoot me a message! The link to my contact form is down below.
Thanks for stopping by <3
Beautiful pictures and poetry AND some great travel tips! Keeping a travel journal is a favourite of mine too! 😁
Yes, when I edit the post, under the discussion tab I have the boxes for “allowing comments” clicked.
Hello Poetry Lovers!
I wanted to throw in a short work that uses enjambment (word of the day!)
Enjambment is a term used when a sentence continues onto the next line without any punctuation. Think of it like a run on sentence that flows from one line to another.
The reason why this is so powerful is because it helps create movement and flow in your poetry. Where a line breaks into a new line is completely up to the poet, which allows for fun experimentation to get the feel of the words just right! You can also have a poem that uses a mix of enjambment and punctuation. For example, note that all my lines in Salt Kiss employ enjambment except for line two as shown below. Here I opted to end my sentence is a period.
“throw me into the sea.”
Part of the reason why poetry is so expressive is because you are not bound by the same grammatical rules as you are in most every day life. When you create your poems, try mixing up your line structure and punctuation. It’s fun to see how you can change the feel of the poem just by doing a few tweaks in the appearance!
Have you created any poems that use enjambment? Let me know! I’d love to read them. <3 Contact me by filling out this contact form in the link below.
https://poeticpeach.com/?page_id=75
Thanks for visiting! See you all soon.
Let’s start with the basics.
My name is Ella.
I was born in Nebraska, grew up in Alaska, and then moved right outside NYC after high school.
I spent my late teens and early twenties on sailing on merchant vessels that literally took me around the globe. In just under a year traveling to 11 different countries and various American states along the coast. Now I’m working full time, pursing the dream of financial independence with passive income.
In short, I’m a number crunching, poetry loving, oat milk drinking woman who dreams of a vagabond life.
OTHER FUN FACTS
-I grew up in the rainiest city in America. So now, even though I moved away, I feel guilty if I don’t spend at least 20 minutes or so in the sunshine.
-Favorite destination visited thus far: Singapore
-I am obsessed with all of Hayao Miyazaki’s films. When the Ghibli park opens in 2022, I’ll be in line to be one of the first visitors!
-Best financial book I’ve read: I Will Teach You How to be Rich By Ramit Sethi
-I’m a morning caffeine lady. I prefer my coffee black and my tea with a splash of oat creamer and honey.
-My favorite poem: “The Charge of the Light Brigade” By Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Take me with you! ~Your Battle Buddy