Up the Rhône

Up the Rhône
by Patrick Ball

We booked a fine cruise up the Rhône — what a treat!

With iPhones, lanyards, and schedules so neat.

They promised us peace and a mind that would mend,

But each calm beginning had chores at the end!

"Now breakfast at seven! At eight, take the view!"

At nine, there's a lecture on 'What Tourists Do!'
At noon, there's a tasting (you must love the cheese),
Then hurry to nap time — as corporate decrees!

I followed that plan till my patience ran dry.

The Rhône softly chuckled, "Oh my, oh my, my!
You've missed half my sparkles, my ripples, my tone—
You're busy pretending you've peacefully grown!"

So I fired my planner and banished my clock.
I tossed my agenda right off the dock!
I let the wind tickle my schedule away,
and drifted through hours that danced where they may.

I chatted with swans, had no notion of when,

I'd nibble, or nap, or go roaming again.

No Wi-Fi! No meetings! No planning! No fuss!

Just me and the Rhône doing nothing for us.

For vacation, my friend, isn't bought — it's become!
It bubbles right up when your brain goes numb.
It's not in a ticket or prepaid brochure,
It hides in the moment that's blissfully pure.

So next time you travel, don't plan every minute!

Just leap into the day and go gleefully in it!
Un-clock all your moments, un-map every roam,
And let the Rhône whisper, "You've finally come home."

For work can be noisy, and duty can drone,
but joy hums its tune as you float down the Rhône.
And the best kind of trip — here's the magical bit —
Is the one where you don't give a calendar . . . fits!

Oh, the so-called “small Eiffel Tower” in Lyon is the Tour métallique de Fourvière, which is on Fourvière hill above Lyon.

I'm Patrick Ball. Be curious, ask questions, and relax.

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