Destination
by Jessica Titlebaum

red rusty paddle boat canoe
sitting on a wooden plank makes my bottom hurt
for 2 hours—going to the mountain and coming back
 
with a German couple
and the man with a longer ponytail than my own
puts his maroon colored button down shirt around my shoulders
to protect my skin from the beating sun
 
we climb man made steps made of rocks
through a jungle of green trees and mountainous ravines
to a cold cave decorated with rows of Buddhas
 
walking back down with bottles of water and red cheeks
Mary slips on a rock and falls to the ground
shaky, she gets back up
 
we borrow sunscreen from a man in a red shirt
it says Canada on it
Are you American or Canadian? I hear a British man ask
as he puts the sunscreen back in his carry-on
 
on the canoe back to the shore
we see women paddle boats full of rice collected in the paddies
they wear long sleeves and circle straw hats with points at the top
 
we pass by a check point
and our 19 year old guide who has been paddling for two hours
gives the patrol office a piece of paper
the gate is lifted for us.