in amsterdam

the orange masses celebrated the

day of the queen

while inside dark cafes

you chose from the

astounding assortment

of mind-altering packages

while fighting your way

through sleepless, half-drunk revelers…

i waited outside and watched the show

streetside

a sidewalk gawker

needing an expresso

and captured by my reflection

beside the colors

and lure of the painting

in a window across the lane…

although bumped and jostled from my sidewalk perch

i still recognized where i was and where i

silently stood

i was the one amid the sea of orange

wishing that

the numbered days of

our travels

would never end