THE NECESSITY OF

THE NECESSITY OF A MAP

Jessica Goerling

i wish that i had learned when i was younger how to direct the sinuous wanderings of my mind back to where they need to go

i have been chased off the path by those creatures called “expectations” and “disappointment” and their heavy shadows follow me

my legs are strong and my hands are quick and i can see lovely patterns in the world and if only i could get back on the path, if only i could even remember what it looked like in the first place

i could read a map, if i had been taught, had been given one

i only need a map, and a little more time to catch up