her wish for her twenty-second birthday

her wish for her twenty-second birthday
is to meet a tall, long-haired boy,

one with a metallic glint in his eye;
somewhat shy, but with a devious smile

pasted on his face; wanderlust in his heart;
on their first getaway they would fly

off to Africa; Lake Nakuru, Kenya, to be precise;
sleep under an expansive sky; out in the open--

mosquito nets, fire pit, a billion shimmering stars.
in the early morning light they would watch

swarms of flamingos fly ovhead, on their way to the lake.
painting the sky peach and pink and fuchsia and red.

but then there is that tsetse fly-- that pest,
also malaria, and bilharzia; who knows what else

there is over there. maybe a more sedate
adventure is what she'll wish for instead.