Wanderer

A poem on living lost

Photo by Dylan Leagh on Unsplash

They say that not all who wander are lost
I am
I get lost on purpose 
It makes me think about me feet
The distance they’ve covered
If they hurt
How my calluses thicken unevenly
My toes never point me in the right direction 
But I never look down
I wander to wonder
To look for my reflection in strangers’ faces
To see if I exist the way I think I do
The unknown teaches me what I know
What I don’t
And what I have all wrong
Maps don’t agree with me
Maybe I don’t agree with them
I detest being told where things begin and end
Unnatural and arbitrary divisions 
Chafe in my mind and soul
I prefer mapping by memory
Trusting my own wayfinding 
Feeling the steps taken
Charting in meals shared
Comforts given and received
Stories spoken by hearts wide open
Being lost has never led me astray

- Lily Luz, Mother of Stories