by Cynthia Atkins
Because I was at the gathering
of a friend of a friend, I realized
I am lost without a floor plan.
A wind blew under the door
of my neighbor’s neighbor.
Now everything is twice
removed. The company
was bought out by another
company. I no longer know
anyone at the Xmas party.
Lipstick smudged on the collar
of my ex-lover, of my ex-friend.
I wanted to play hooky with
the mixed-tapes of my youth.
Co-opted by junkyards, the notes
tangled and tarred. I cherish
the screen saver of you and me
on a hill of wildflowers.
My software is out of date.
Once my boyfriend kicked me out
with wet hair and no shoes.
I was at the depot of despair.
The sailor’s gloved hand waving
goodbye to another girl’s longing.
Cynthia Atkins (She, Her), originally from Chicago, IL is the author of Psyche’s Weathers, In the Event of Full Disclosure, and Still-Life With God, and Duets, a collaborative chapbook from Harbor Editions. Her work has appeared in many journals, including Alaska Quarterly Review, BOMB, Cider Press Review, Diode, Cimarron Review, Indianapolis Review, Florida Review, Review, Los Angeles Revier, North American Review, Permafrost, Plume, Seneca Review, and Verse Daily. She earned her MFA from Columbia University and teaches at Blue Ridge Community College. Atkins has earned fellowships and prizes from Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, SWWIM Residency @TheBetsyHotel Writer’s Room, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, The Writer’s Voice, and Writers@Work. Atkins lives on the Maury River of Rockbridge County, VA,www.cynthiaatkins.com.