There was always going to be a list
First wandering far past downtown to
A bus stop where once I walked westward with
Mud-caked boots and a rain-soaked umbrella
And two friends, all doing our best to flee
The Hash Bash haze awaiting us
And at that point I made a goal
To cover every cardinal direction
And see how far I could wander
East had long been done, a loop
That sent me past the first flowers,
Mannequins, ant colonies, and mourning doves
Of a spring with five false starts
But one always welcome all the same
Travelling together, time spent speculating
About what makes a “good” scary
And in between my trips I stopped
For a moment amidst tabletop memories
Or going through the graveyard, daisies blooming
Or an overlook of Shakespearean summers
Or a last time wandering the Arb for me
And the first for another
Before I made my way north, by bus, by foot
Into that setting sun with turkeys in the trees
Deer in the dark, raccoons by the road
Each a reminder of my final walks
As I took in the same stars
And finally, I decided to
Replace that chance to
Take a southward route
With a carnival, one more roll of dice
And a “see you later” to
Friends I go through the witchlight with
Because I’ll be back to finish my goal
Of four ways to wander
And start a few more trails anew
After all, I remember the paths
And the ones I walked them with
