Spreading the map out flat
across the hood of the Ford,
she fingers the route home
like a vein along his arm.
Nearby, he watches the night sky.
The distance draws closer
than the stars’ mythologies
allow in reason’s smudged light.
He resists the part he plays.
She recognizes the distortion
as a vague interpretation
of where he once belonged.
She sees where they’re going;
he denies there is a destiny.
(August 9, 2016)
subtext 