There are seashells on Robben Island

“They sell tea and coffee for breaks and you can use the bathroom if you wish. Do not waste time, though. You only have five minutes” – Holland Hamilton

There are seashells on the ground at Robben Island
And the smells of fresh sea air waft through the open windows of our comfortable tour bus
We hear the comforting South African accent of our tour guide as we press our small flash buttons and our on/off switches.
To take pictures
of a graveyard.
A graveyard for people we will never know.

In the movies and on TV they make it look like there was color here
They bring out the sunlight and the thick black roads but
when you’re riding in a loud,
obnoxious
motorized vehicle
the sight of a cold, dark and lonely bed
and the yelling of someone else’s private tour guide telling you to get out
only inspires the tiniest spark of an idea
for a play
that’s probably already been written.

“Most people will find the following very hard to believe, Holland, but, there is nothing, ever, worth being unhappy about.
Because no matter what happens, it will add to you” - The Universe