Swashbuckler

I lace up my worn boots,
braid back my red hair,
shoulder my pack,
forfeit a small
metro fair,
and in the blink of an eye-
I’m there…

Mid jungle, thick
with ozone mist,
verdant ferns, and
sweet orchids.

An adventurer among visitors
exploring one
enclosure.
This paradise dome
like a scaled-up snowglobe
that I can traverse
at leisure.

Between Mediterranean breeze
and Primeval green,
a couple asks me
to take their picture.
Excitedly, I agree,
focus the shot
“one…two…three!”

Click-
Hard not to feel
like a seasoned
swashbuckler.