Beautiful Experiences I Never Wish To Forget

 Dining at San Francisco's Chinatown

watching the rainfall from the window

chatting with my love above the cacophony of 

Chinese voices, banging pans, and flaming food.

Walking through mysterious

  Indian Ruins with him 

which looked out to the surreal

 and desolate Painted Desert

By ourselves, 

 feeling the gods

With another love

traveling the Moore's of England on

a cold yet sunny winter day

with endless rolling green hills

and English houses and villages

along the way

Drinking tea inside The Tate Museum

with a window view overlooking Big Ben 

and the Thames River

Basking on the sunny beaches

of A Hundred Islands in The Philippines

 with my mother and relatives

eating fresh grilled fish and squid

and swimming in the cool clear sea

Holding my niece for the first time

being so fascinated with her new born life

and gazing upon her lovely round face

as if an angel had been sent to our family

Cruising along the vast blue Lake Michigan

with my dearest friend

 enjoying food, wine, and beholding the

monumental Chicago skyline

Taking my mother, niece, and nephew

to the local art museum 

My ten-year-old nephew had

never been to an art museum before

and neither had my mother at seventy six

Engaging in many long conversations

around my friends' kitchen table while

either eating homemade pie or cake

and drinking coffee

Drinking ice cream soda in the quaintest town

in North Carolina with another good friend

Taking in the sights of Southern mansions
and black waters

Flying kites, fishing
and swimming with my father
on warm sunny days
before we lost him to cancer
when I was ten

Learning to do stand-up comedy
performing on stage
feeling euphoric
from the roars of laughter

And to think these are just some
 beautiful experiences

May there be many more
to come

Olivia McGuire