None of this was meant to happen
All of this came in a dream
I was
Sitting in a dark blue Grand Cherokee
Driving up the coast
Staring down the exit signs until
They faded into the distance
The radio static came in
Reminding me of the world beyond
The hazard line and safety median
Apparently it’s the best time to
renew my health insurance
I shut it off,
savoring the dull pounding of the engine
Cities pass,
Traffic picks back up as the sun sets
I envy the towns where
people go outside at night
in search of more
When I finally arrive,
to that cabin hidden in the forest brush
I find a table for two,
a set of holiday post cards with
faces I don’t recognize
The couple in the photo looks happy
After a night’s rest
I enter the nearby garden,
and gently approach a small orange cat
nestling in the flowers
We sit there for what feels like hours
watching a fog torment the bright blue sky
As the daylight turns to dusk,
the inescapable begins to peer into frame,
stubbornly reminding me of
every minute passing
These memories they burn like
one of those old corrupted CDs
chrping out asound you wish you could forget
It feels like hours have passed
I know it’s only been a few minutes
Every day feels like that lately
The cat has meandered back to the cabin
as it starts to gently rain
Tomorrow I’ll be back on the highway,
looking for a state park with
closed winter campgrounds,
climbing a path that winds through the redwoods
There’s much to see out here,
There’s much I can’t remember
It’s going to take some time before I
understand why
I chose to come here