Author: Ralph

to go outside or to stay inside?
this is one of my most frequent questions.
Should I stay and try to read or write,
cultivating my inner world,
or should I venture outside,
and live in the moment?
both have plausible arguments.

today, I chose to venture outside.
The sky was clear pastel blue,
the white foam of clouds here and there,
the wind blew once in a while.
I glided through roads on my bike,
eventually arriving at a corner of a tourist spot.

I got off my bike and locked it on a bike stand.
a neon-blue van parked next to a cafe,
and the sound of a generator rumbling filled the street.
I walked up to the window and ordered:
a shaved ice with deathly bright colors of syrups.
I thought of four years ago in Hawaii,
slurping it, reminiscing my childhood years.

when all the ice melted away,
only the artificial sweetener is left
As I rode back, I wondered,
“was it truly worth $7?”
for having made myself live for this moment,
Yes, I believe it was worth every penny.

7.23.2023