Muse on the Cruise

Somewhat to my surprise, I went on a cruise recently. Even more unexpected was how much I enjoyed it. One thing for which I was particularly unprepared however was the plethora of activities, classes, workshops, and entertainments available on the ship, as we sailed from port to port. Being in a liminal space on water also induced a sort of fanciful creative energy. For some reason I found myself jotting down little micro-stories in my notebook. I like to think of them as epigrammatic, but whether they are epigrams, seems open to debate.

With some hesitation therefore, I share a few of them here, as evidence of how the cruise, at least for 10 days, proved to be my muse.

The origami class was packed, I came in quietly and folded myself into a chair.

The dot painting teacher seemed to confuse the group, never getting to the point.

The retired Professor looked down on fellow competitors in the trivia quiz, until he totted up his final score.

I attended the early morning exercise class every day, at a stretch.

Making a keychain, I struggled at first, then finally something unlocked.

At the end of an excellent Q&A session with the Captain, I gave him a wave.

I know, I know … Perhaps you just had to be there …?