Today's poem is by Sean Cho A.

Contemporary Poem #3
       

here is a suitcase. a fistful of travelers checks.
and. the map from the cell phone commercial
that shows the parts of the land that they haven't
gotten to yet: Happy long weekend. responsibilities
make joy seem selfish. turn the tv off. breaking news
could make joy feel selfish. like. at the rest stop
you see an empty fast food bag blowing in the wind.
it's not yours. but. in a way. you're its last remaining hope.

*

because batteries die: your phone is off. because
you want to show everyone you made a pitstop
to see The World's Biggest Ball of Yarn you buy
the t-shirt that says Welcome to Cawker City Kansas
Home of the... because he couldn't take the time off
work. because mail is slow and postcards get
lost: you buy him a pocket sized souvenir. upon
returning home: handing it to Jakob: both of you
silently knowing: a while back i was missing you so dearly.

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Copyright © 2023 Sean Cho A. All rights reserved
from Black Warrior Review
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission