Vignettes from the Countryside Holiday

By: Jasmine Nihmey Vasdi

watching the dust settle on the ground after the weekend market

crawling through the barracade of rocks to reach the periwinkle lines where the sea meets the sky in mers les bains

feeling the tension between passerbys and terrace hoppers, apologetic and confused waitstaff

someone placing peanuts one by one at the tip of his bistro table for the odd seagull who swoops to claim it and loving the simplicity behind it

eyes glazing over and ears flooding with propaganda

donating, sharing stories and wishes

drunken sunglasses turning everyone into cartoons and day dreams blending with the burnt sienna of dusk

wandering stone alleys echoing of colonial ghosts

grappling with quick elections, moving through other homes

existing in between headlines and garden herbs

foraging deep in forests where the only whispers are from the trees,
who trade tales
of camino hikers
lost in their ways and thoughts
that hug them in return for fresh air