The Old Choices Of Quiet And Noise

I remember my grandparents,
particularly their approach to travel;
they liked the village they lived in,
they were tardy enough about leaving it
that they rarely traveled any great distance
for any length of time.

The comforts of their home had been hard fought for.

They had an 1950's television set
which was travel enough for them.
It gave them all the movement
they might think to want,
without them having to move.

They preferred the BBC
and stuck to 'The News'.

When the set was turned off
they unplugged it at the mains.
They then covered the screen
with a travel blanket,
which they kept for the purpose.

A woolen patterned test card
that required no power.
 
Then they traveled in real life,
cooked and ate, and played cards
allowing the quiet to settle around us.