“Bougainvillea Poetry”
After a while, no one wants to look like a tourist. Experienced travelers will buy a hat in a local store, convinced that having the same head covering will somehow make them less con - spicuous. They stray off the main streets and take their meals in the places locals frequent. They leave their fancy backpacks in the hotel and carry only what they need to explore the city. And, most impor - tantly, they don't take photos. If the tourists who don't want to appear to be tourists take photos, they only take a picture of them - selves and their traveling partners. If there is something beautiful in sight, it serves as background. The goal is to appear to be anything but a tourist.
I was at a poetry reading the other day. I go to very few poetry readings. Because I write, I have writer friends, and some of them write poetry. So I occasionally go to a poetry reading to support my friends. But I never leave a poet- ry reading without feeling a little more stupid.
