An International City
A port, a mall, a crowded space
Happy to be there and on the lookout
Known faces or familiar
Welcoming and eager looks

Find myself with one and then another
A group of young adults from all over
We get to talk and know each other
Take a seat around a table and food
More into telling each one’s stories, dreams

Someone takes a photo
On request from the group
To upload to social media
It’s cropped and a close-up to hide
Where we are and yet revealing

Some pleasant discussions ensue on it
The inevitability of being public persons
The transition age from being private and
Personal to being a responsible global citizen
The time to depart, and even as I search

My mobile brought by someone
Owning the place, and yet a family priest, lawyer
Hands over and shares the “guarded nature”
Of this trip, of life and of the gadget being
Mine only for a while, and feel grateful.