I even love the Bernese
Mountain Dogs, Benz and Heidi,
was thinking this as I walked through the vines
with the vigneron
who prunes the shoots and clusters
to unblock the light
knowing the grapes
by the shape and texture
of their leaves—Merlot, Malbec,
Sauvignon, and Cabernet,
the Chateau windows
witnessing the field
a scene for Impressionists on canvas
later I was thinking I even like this outside patio
where we sit on tall bar stools
around the table, dine
on grilled duck, and nose the wines
twenty minutes from Bordeaux,
the fruit beginning to form
on the cusp of summer
I too am on the cusp
I feel the warmth of the sun
a slight breeze blows, and I remember
longing for this get-a-way,
delayed by a worldwide pandemic
forcing us to miss the French culture
the timing perhaps perfect after all
to chance an invitation
from the chef at a local restaurant,
the son of the Chateau’s owner,
to be here with his family
the reason travel, and risking it,
is life.

Kathi Crawford spends her days as a human capital consultant and executive coach in Houston, Texas, and, by night, writes poetry and flash creative nonfiction. She hopes to create dialogue through her writing for the challenges of our time and as individuals. Her poetry has been featured in Drunk Monkeys, Ephemeral Elegies, One Art: a journal of poetry, The Write Launch, Imposter: a poetry journal, Equinox: Into the Thicket by Hot poet, and The Bayou Review. You can find her on Instagram @kathicrawford.