Goa, India.
Early morning visit to Basilica of Bom Jesus, where the body
of Saint Francis Xavier is located. It’s also where this
sun-bathing stray dog is located. Later, a late afternoon
visit to a spice plantation, where a young visitor demonstrated
how to properly shimmy up a palm tree.

Goa, India.
You never know what you’ll find when you peek
into nooks and crannies. For example, this
first photo is what I saw when I peered through
a tiny hole in a storage shed behind a Hindu
Temple. (That’s Ganesh carved into a wooden
throne. (He’s my favorite story from Hinduism.)
At another temple, I found this banyan
tree. At a third, this monk wandering this hallway.
I rewarded myself for all my temple finds with some
mehndi near a beach.

Goa, India.
As I learned yesterday, Life Jacket is Must.

Goa (and then Maharashtra), India
1. Started the day with a visit to the home of a beloved
mentor from my past. She’s no longer on this earth, but
the shadows in her hallway welcomed me in.
2. Made some new friends on the road to Maharashtra.
3. I have a general rule which is: “If it floats, don’t.”
Which is to say: I hate boats. Which is to say: It took
some heavy peer pressure to get me to agree to get on
this dinky thing in order to go see Sindhudurg fortress.
And a whole lot more peer pressure was necessary to get me
back on it after it got shipwrecked on a giant rock 100 yards
off shore. Why do I break my own rules?!
4. Fortunately, visiting Sawantwadi palace required significantly
less anxiety. Even the tiger was fairly moth-ridden.

Goa, India.
Early morning fish market.

Mumbai, India.
One of the items on my Bucket List was “Celebrate Holi in India.”
Today, I got to check that off. My goodness, what joy.
Children and grownups alike. What color, what laughter!
(All photos are by me, except the one of my hand.
That one was taken by Phil, comrade in color.)

Mumbai, India.
Goings on at Chor Bazaar.

Mumbai, India.
This is the audience that came to see us at the Blue Frog
tonight for International World Poetry Day. There were over
450 people packed in to what felt like a combination bee hive-moon.

Mumbai, India.
Day 1 in Mumbai.
Sleepy Fruit Vendors.
Eavesdropping at the Jain Temple.
Making new friends.
A floating Mosque.

Minneapolis, MN.
The reason I’m at WoWPS is because of Laura Brown-Lavoie.
She’s also the reason I still believe in poetry, most days.