Quito, and our Fleeting
Farewell
Janet Kuypers
2/13/24
In what little time we had left in this town
just south of the Equator,
you still nursed your seasickness
after drinking too much Pacific Ocean water
after journeying on a far-too-rocky boat
for far too long to get here.
Though I have a bad track record
with trying to climb mountains,
we didn’t even have the time
to hike the Pichincha Volcano
that almost glared at us defiantly
from outside our hotel window.
Well, maybe we could try some local food.
It’s always a struggle when you’re a vegetarian
to find food you can eat, but nothing was open
and our only choice on our last night in town
was literally a Pizza Hut.
I searched the menu toppings for something more exotic:
corn kernels
was all we could come up with
for a more unique pizza topping...
Which actually tasted really good.
So, looking at the city lights on our last night,
I knew I wouldn’t even be able to see Phoenix —
or any other Southern Hemisphere constellation —
in the hazy night sky, the way we did
on that far-too-rocky boat.
Thankfully, your seasickness eventually subsided.
So, if nothing else,
we should remember to add kernels of corn
on top of our next homemade pizza.
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