Marada travel journal

Entry #1 - A poem for Jenoa

*My pet made a silly sketch of a Merman*

In deepest waters kept safe --- Jenoa!
When Dark and Light fought above
They clothed King Baspinar's army with shields
But who hears the Jenoans now?

Whose magic heals wandering Meradans
Whose soaps sanitize the City of Merada
Whose delicately-presented cuisine do the socialites of Lowlyhood enjoy

Jenoa! Your pearls have not gone to waste
Your song is not forgotten
Back to the beginning
When mermen were free

---

Entry #2 - Taking gardening to another level

*Some drops of water and streaks of soil on the page*

Weaving through the busy crowd of merchants
To catch one selling pottery
Before he sets sail once more

Carrying the pot all the way
To a quiet lake
Ignoring glances from training athletes

Making sure not to spill it all
As we make our way to a rainforest
Where a leprechaun lives
But oh wait forgot seeds

Asks farmer to watch after Lush Lake water container
And I take the ferry to
Buy seeds as others make their way to the gym

Exhausted I return and
Thank the farmer for waiting
But I'm too tired for a quest right now

I plant the seeds and water them
Before it's too late
Checking on my hatching eggs as well while I'm here
And wondering ... wryly ...

It's a lot less work to
Buy ready-cut flowers
At the Puchalla village store

Another day in Marada
Scrambling by
And loving every second of it

Edit: I now realize that a Maradan garden grows organic minipets, not flowers.