lost
by t. zoEy benally

sometimes i wonder if i really made it back
if i just imagine that i am here
not really calling out spelling words

i feel myself wander streets
San Francisco, Chicago, Denver, Phoenix
streets i tamed alone, braided hair, wild hats

part of me now sleeps in cardboard boxes
curled in dank darkness, covered in newsprint
black & white that contains illusions of warmth
keeps chill from blowing under my skin

all the wrong people call me "baby", ask
for my number, offer rides, but all i wish,
block out light reflected on glass doors to night,
all i wish is for that one ride missed
that time that i never really came home