Prompt Poems: September

Title: mind maps by @k13uanh Poem: We talked about our dreams. Mine a crystal chandelier, a magic bus and an art show in a dank attic. Yours was a road map: a trip around the country, a cushy job in academia and a rendezvous with 'some woman'. But you'll let me know — if that falls through. The call never came yet our mind maps. The mind discards information that it deems insignificant. It forgets people. It foregrounds a future. I shouldn't have held onto those objects for so long. I should discard them too.

Look Past The ruckus of the house party fell behind us as we walked to my car. I came on a whim. Your pity invite was haphazard. On the phone, shouting the street name next to a boombox. I was zipping past green lights. Navigation barely registered the name. Sounding it out was not in her repository of skills. You seemed unfazed when I arrived. Stopwatch for an hour on the dot. I signalled to my getaway but you followed. I didn't look at you - maybe I wanted the last image of you to be that sweet smile on my screen. I rummaged through, scraping the bottom of my bag for the keys. Jumbled clattering lip gloss, coin purse and a book I barely read. I spread the contents, ploughing through the debris. A steady voice commanded, "Look at me. Look at me." I paused. I obliged. I remained inside your eyes. I felt still. I felt calm. A crutch that made me feel alone. I found the keys and unlocked the door. Goodbye - this feeling will subside. @k15uanh