coat trip to a nameless location

By: Lily DeWitt

⟟  e main st & n high st

day does a trust fall into night’s arms.

the city’s stars are its people.

⟟  n high st & northwood ave

the sidewalks love the feet

that walk on them.

i too have an obsession

with being useful.

⟟  n high st & patterson ave

the man next to me has tattoos 

wrapping around his legs,

like how i wrap myself in shadows.

i want to ask him what it feels like to be art.

i want to ask him what it feels like to put needle to skin

in a loving way.

i want to ask him what he thinks about 

the way the buildings watch over us,

like proud parents

but i picked my outfit specifically

to blend in with the 

plastic of the bus chair.

⟟  n high st & e dodridge st

the crossword on my lap

has me stumped.

“word to describe the sun or your personality.”

ten letters.

⟟  w henderson rd & knightsbridge blvd

we pass the place where

my favorite oak tree usually waits for me,

with extended arms

to my dismay i see 

it’s been cut 

down.

⟟  w henderson rd & reed rd

i try not to cry.

⟟  bethel rd & coachman rd

we have reached an area of unknown.

my nose begs to be united

with the window,

but i force myself to sit back.

i swear there are eyes on me,

but the other passengers

do not acknowledge my presence.

i am my own most concerned observer.

⟟  pickforde dr & gardenia dr

i return to the puzzle.

ten letters.

⟟  sawmil rd & w case rd

i can feel myself getting closer to

the answer,

but i’m not quite there.

i’m never quite where

i need to be.

⟟  hard rd & heathermoor dr

i glance around and see

a mural on a brick wall

that looks to have been painted

with the dust trails of shooting stars 

and tree sap.

⟟  standburn rd & hard dr

i think i know.

both the sun and i are

⟟  summer dr & sawmil commons ln

b  l  i  s  t  e  r  i  n  g.

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Lily DeWitt is a student at the Ohio State University, studying political science, history, and creative writing.