Vacation – desire

Today it is raining, and WordPress have suggested a prompt to occupy me – “Vacation” – where do I want to go? they call it “Tourist Trap“.

Remember remember, when I was about ten, I wanted more than anything to go to Greece.

Temple of Parthenon of Athens (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This was before Greece became a popular tourist destination, and long before it became a “problem for the euro zone”. Which I do NOT believe – I think it is the economic theory which has the problem – wrote about it last March.

I have been lucky and gone to many places in this wonderful world, though seldom as a ‘tourist’. However, among all the stuff I read as a child (was I an odd child?)

– Famous five, Swallows and Amazons, The Abbey Girls (who remembers them?) the School Friend, Rover and Hotspur –

I had also come across a book about myths and gods, and a whole history of archaeology. The Parthenon, maybe a minotaur or two – geography was not an issue here. Tourism was not what it was about.

Myths, possibility, desire.

I wanted to go to Greece.

I have never been to Greece.

Ted Hughes  seemed to know something about this stuff, desire.

Prometheus on his Crag

[Prometheus gave the gift of fire to mortals and thus offended the the gods. Zeus commanded that he be chained to a mountain and an eagle sent to tear at his flesh for all eternity.]

Prometheus on his crag
Began to admire the vulture
It knew what it was doing

It went on doing it
Swallowing not only his liver
But managing also to digest its guilt

And hang itself again just under the sun
Like a heavenly weighing scales
Balancing the gift of life

And the cost of the gift
Without a tremor
As if both were nothing

I would still like to go to Greece, one day maybe.

And maybe economists could read more poetry, they might learn something too.