How to Lose a Thing

Forget to care about it.
Let your concern catch hurricane wind
and tumble out of thought—
out of mindfulness.
Leave mindfulness to mold and rot.
Leave it lay under piles of dirty dishes,
petty emergencies,
and online notifications.
Become harried and hurried.
Let your keys land where they may.
Let your kisses, hands, and “I love you’s”
land where they may.
Let your bills and wallet land where they may.
You can always find them later.
Right?
If you want to lose something,
lose it thoroughly.
Brush over the steps you take
throughout the day.
Leave no path to retrace—
no chance to figure out how you
got to this point.
Blot out the stars and scramble
your compass.
To lose something is to not
remember the journey.
Is to not remember
how to be found.

Image via Combi Boiler Leeds

Alexis-Rueal is a Columbus, Ohio poet whose work has appeared in a number of national and international online and print journals. Her first full-length collection, “I Speak Hick,” was published by Writing Knights Press in 2016. When not writing and performing, she hosts The Second Friday Fete open mic, ballroom dances, and spends time with her husband, two apathetic cats, and one needy goldendoodle.