UTRECHT VS MAUI
Four years lived I in Utrecht city
In Maui, nearly three.
Twelve time zones apart,
That’s only the start,
Of how opposite they can be.
The Romans found Utrecht in fifty BC,
Forty square miles, as flat as the sea.
Eight hundred years later,
Twenty times bigger,
The Marquesas sailed to Maui.
Utrecht, Netherlands club:
A transportation hub
By car, train and tram,
Forty kilometers from Amsterdam,
The cycling capital of Europe.
Maui of the Hawaii chain:
Best island in the world again,
Over two million visit,
Tourism explicit,
Conde Nast’s readers proclaim.
Cold, wet, windy, or all the above.
Wool hats, scarves, and leather gloves,
Boots and jacket,
The more you pack it,
How many layers are warm enough?
Sunny, warm, breezy, or all the above.
Aloha shirts and shorts you love,
Cotton-spun sun dresses,
Spaghetti straps or less,
Even naked is plenty enough!
Church and cathedral, abbey adorn
Early music festivals, museums and more.
The cobbled stone steps
And Latin texts
The tallest landmark is the Dome.
Beaches and parks, oceans before
Surfing and snorkeling, swimming and more
The isle of rainbows,
Waterfalls and moon glows,
Boogie boarding on the North Shore.
My life turned a hundred eighty degrees
When I left Holland for Hawaii:
Drop the bicycle for the car,
Trade the Euro for the Dollar,
Pay attention to sustainability*.
* This last line needs changing. Suggestions?
— Anne Ku