there is no Irish whiskey
in the mini-bar
but I didn’t really expect there
to be
just two of those little bottles
of Chivas
which are topping off
the bottle of wine
at dinner
as I sit huddled in my coat
here on the balcony
of the hotel room
watching the water
for any ships out at sea
there was Tony Bennett singing
Boulevard of Broken Dreams
at the restaurant
followed by Andy Williams singing
Charade
“Fate seemed to pull the strings
I turned and you were gone”
and then some female singers
I couldn’t place
singing in Italian
it’s enough to confirm
my thinking
that Izmir just might be home
at least here in Turkey
and maybe
just maybe
there’s someone on
one of those ships
landing just for me
now wouldn’t that be
a kick in the head