SURFING SOAPBOX: Spain’s roads lead to poetry

From high above the cobblestone streets, I have just opened the curtains in the two-bedroom hotel room booked by my two travel companions, photographers Will Henry and Vince Duer. Looking outside I watch the hustle and bustle below, moving in every direction. I step out onto the balcony, and the crisp cold air begins to whisper.

My mind is clear. My heart is alive and well. This moment is nothing short of a dream. I am celebrating my birthday (Oct. 9) in the old town of Gijon, Spain, where churches sit like poetry with such detail that one may title them the “golden arches of religious art.”

A cup of coffee here may keep you up for days, which is good, because the days are long here and the nights are even longer.

Yesterday we drove for hours from Mundaka, getting lost along the way.

I wish I could say it was because of the deep cold fog, but I can’t.

The roads here twist and turn like a maze in a coloring book.

Being on the road, looking out the window can give one a lot of time to watch and listen to the sights and sounds of life.

With my headphones on, listening to music, my every thought played in my mind like a slow-motion movie.

While I sat, I wrote down those thoughts and sights in a poem.

?

I’ve seen both sides of people

The good and the bad

Lovers and the haters

The young and the restless

My only question

Which one are you?

I’ve seen the rich and the poor

The fancy suits and the painful blistered feet

I walk this world

Leaving my footprints behind

As I continue to grow

Learning as I go

Dreaming of love

And smiling along the way

Reaching out to give a helping hand

You and I are no different

Except in the decisions that we make

The world is as you are

Let’s stop the hate.

Peace.

JAMES PRIBRAM is a Laguna Beach native, professional surfer and founder of the Aloha School of Surfing. He can be reached at Jamo@Alohaschoolof surfing.com.