HERE I AM

Lost on the rutted road to nowhere-

Bumper to bumper in traffic

That creeps along at a pace

Guaranteeing poor mileage

And overheated engines.

What difference does it make-

I don’t know where I’m going

Or care if I ever arrive.

There’s nothing for me at the turnoff

But another unmarked highway.

I had a road map once,

All marked with good directions

But I left it in a restroom

When I washed my hands

And saw a stranger in the glass

And listened to his tales of shortcuts

Promising to bring me home

To hearth fires burning

Warm with dinner in the oven

And two arms stretching out to me.

Silly, foolish, stupid me-

Hungering for meals not offered-

Rushing places I’m not wanted-

Giving things nobody takes

And getting empty boxes in return .

ljm

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