The Poetry of Alfhild Berg Salls
The hardest thing about my tour
Was getting on my way,
After that, problems were rare--
Our guide was A-O-K!
We finally met in Copenhaven,
The California Seven,
And soon the Four from Florida
Joined in to make Eleven.
"Twould be amis to make a list
Of all the things we saw;
Perhaps the highlights of the trip
Would be within the law.
Think a bit and see if you
Would make some slight correction;
'Tis possible you'd not agree
With this A. Salls projection.
In Denmark there were Tivoli,
Canals, and the castle guards,
The "walking street" where craftsmen
Sought their just rewards.
Stockholm has many palaces--
Even the City Hall!
Carl Milles' work and the Wasa Ship,
And smorgasbords and all!
The Old Town with its narrow streets
The New with its modern look,
The ancient charm of Katarina Kyrk
And the "Operan's" famous cooks.
In Oslo, too, were palaces
Both modern and medieval.
The Vigeland sculptures in Frogner Park
And Holmenkollen for those who ski well.
The stories of the Viking Ships
And the Kon Tiki adventure
Held us in their magic grip
(Without fear of censure!)
And so, to Bergen--and our boat--
The Lofoten by name
And thus began our voyage --
We've no great claim to fame!
For twelve great days we sailed the seas;
We proved to be good seamen.
We met new friends from many lands,
From Australia to Great Britain.
When weather would permit us to,
We strolled or sunned on the decks.
Great meals -- we tried unusual foods--
Then -- conversation? cards? just relax?
The rugged granite mountains
That bordered the jagged coast
We looked upon with wonder--
Such an inhospitable host
For the little fishingvillages
And isolated farms
That nestled on the green plains
At their feet, along the fjords' arms.
When we crossed the Arctic Circle
There was a celebration--
Delicious cake, and a sing-along
And achievement certification!
The North Cape and the Laplanders
We saw, in spite of wind,
And rains and slippery pathways--
Not so, the Midnight Sun!
The churches of the Northland
Were glorious evidence
Of the people's faith and thankfulness
For God's deliverance.
And how about that border
That we could look across
To cul the Russian Secrets?!
Their land looked much like ours!
A trip like this, and friends like those
That made the going fun,
Make this inexperienced gal
Look forward to re-runs!
Alfhild J. SallsThe Mail Boat Tour
