Walking because\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I am angry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Away from the house to feel\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n the squish of the mud through my toes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Each squelch distracts from what I left.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In the dark,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n in the city.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Not afraid when we should be.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Two girls at night. Haven\u2019t we ever seen the news?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A humid breeze and the city lights as company.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Talking forever as we walk\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Same city,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n in the daylight.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Concrete pathways\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n next to the water. Shared with bikes,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n rollerbladers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I wish I could do that. It might feel like flying.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But I would fall down.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Different city, a bigger one. Overwhelming,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n not intimidating.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My life is opening night.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Billboards, theater facades, names in lights. It’s night,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n but it looks like day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Nothing matters but this week spent here.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This week of Hadestown, dance classes, and dim sum.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Before everything went dark.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Back to the dirt roads\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I left. Dry, cracking,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n full of holes that dad will fill with shell.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I walk\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n now because what else is there to do?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Left, right, left, right. If I keep going,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n maybe I\u2019ll make it\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n back to then.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Shelby Parks Walking because\u00a0 I am angry.\u00a0 Away from the house to feel\u00a0 the squish of the mud through my toes.\u00a0 Each squelch distracts from what I left.\u00a0 In the dark,\u00a0 in the city.\u00a0 Not afraid when we should be.\u00a0 Two girls at night. Haven\u2019t we ever seen the news?\u00a0 A humid breeze and the… <\/p>\n