6

Wherever I go, my mess comes along
Shirts, socks, and paper stuffed into a sack
Through darkness, the red porch light glows so strong
Fall asleep sitting, staring into black

Bare grey trees blur as we speed down country roads
Wait in the car, listen to oldies play
Flames flicker and grow, casting shades of gold
Re-live the same hour twice in one day

Wind through the hills, breathe in deep the morning
Abandoned cabins, only bricks remain
Look through glass: outside, inside, traveling
Lines of red and white lights fill highway lane

Return to crowded streets, loud noises, bright lights
Return to our own homes, own beds, own lives
-KM

my teeth are like tiny soldiers
in a divided state
1/2 are ready to desert
leaving the other 1/2 so lonely

but my mouth and my head are connected
they cannot leave without those
so that the 1/2 ready to desert
tremble in angry pause

The others pour hot tea
and hold ice cubes hostage
sit-in silence
try to remember each other

it's not an emergency,
yet.
-Hannah