It should come with a map
at birth, alongside
the certificate that records
breath and name.
The map would be
baby’s first fine art,
and outline the
aesthetic and precision
of chance.
It would warn
of dead-ends. Left turns
feel safer.
It would hang above a basinet,
someday rest in a dorm room drawer.
The gift of this map
would set free
the tumultuous years
the mapless ones
spend learning cartography
for themselves.
The map, be it on
tapestry or scroll,
would shake us free,
so our fibers can collect
more useful lessons.
While learning cartography
My greatest fear has become traveling in circles.
Kate Devine 