Utopia

utopia can be incredible isolation from the rest of the world
it can be Pyramiden at it's very extreme

utopia
both socialist and capitalist
is a town
almost fully abandoned
reminding us of a world completely different
than we have ever seen
black coal everywhere
rusted steel
wooden ducting
and a man
in utopia
on a bicycle
with a rifle
keeping utopia alive

utopia is spending time on Noorderlicht
rolling side to side with the waves
pitching bow to stern with the swell
warm companionship in the cabin
windy view on the deck
birds swooping past the boat
riding the wind
amazing views sweeping by

utopia is the crew enjoying the boat driving through the waves
solitude on deck for some
magnificent meals served up by others
keeping the boat shipshape and stocked with goodies
ferrying people back and forth to the shore

utopia is teaching us about the boat
it's history
how to haul up the sails
how to trim the boom
even helming when needed to

utopia is taking us ashore
showing us the countryside
the huts
for the moment abandoned
but some days
thriving with activity
hearing of the amazing ways
the landscape around us was created
over hundreds of millions of years

seeing birds
seals, whales and foxes
incredibly tiny plants
with even tinier flowers
clinging to life in forests the size of my hand

utopia is a polar bear
seen in the rain
wandering along a cliff
oblivious to us
it's us
now moving away
from ice bear utopia
which could end up being
mutual dystopia

utopia is photos
thousands of them
taken by us all
memories of a time
snapshots of a moment
where we chose to spend
time with each other
in utopia

utopia is different
different for all of us
but shared between us

On a trip to Spitzbergen/Svalbard I was asked to write a poem about the journey on Noorderlicht. We had just visited a ghost town called Pyramiden. It's a Russian utopian settlement that has turned into a relic to their times. I have never been in a place like it. It was astonishing to say the least and and amazing snapshot of life over many decades and how it all can fall apart. But nine individuals still live there, taking tours through the ghost town and they love the place. It's not often I can say ... "I've met more than half the population of a town" (C) Copyright Luke Visser 2017 (written Sep 2017)