A Poem for a Thursday #324

J. Allyn Rosser is an American poet. She was born in Pennsylvania and now lives in Athens, Ohio. Rosser has published five volumes of poetry and served as the editor of the New Ohio Review for eight years. She is a professor of English at Ohio University.

Why won't I ever do as I've been told?
It's not as  if the route they said to take
Looked less direct. — This map will not refold.

Eat organic, exercise, and hold
(That wine at 3 a.m. was a mistake)
The cheese. I should rest as I've been told,

Monitor my dreams, take time to hit the road
To view the changing leaves... Give me a break,
There is no exit 9! This map won't fold.

How can I hope to follow dreams that bolt,
Or flake into powder when I wake?
Besides, to do whatever you've been told

Is unoriginal. Still, all those old
Traditions can provide a welcome break
From stupid new ones:  maps we should refold.

Oh, wouldn't there be peace, if we controlled
The things our countries thought? For heaven's sake,
Why can't the world forget what it's been told?
History's a map that won't refold.

Detour in October
J. Allyn Rosser