Immediately, the landscape is wrong,
all shades of brown, and you are sheepish,
sure that you must have missed a sign

or two. I am on my way back to college
after a break, and I am furious to find myself
still in New Mexico, off in the wrong direction,

when I should already be in Colorado,
sitting at my desk, studying for exams.
I want to go back to that moment now, to be

the girl I once was, in those months before we married.
I would tell you, “It was a harmless mistake.”
I would tell you, “It could have happened to anyone.”

We would leave the car and walk through the streets
holding hands. I want to superimpose this image,
obscuring the one where the girl takes the wheel

and turns them around, driving away from the unexpected
city with a mouth as sour as vinegar.

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Leah Browning

Leah Browning's poetry, fiction, essays, and articles have appeared or are forthcoming in a variety of publications including The Saint Ann’s Review, Literary Mama, Blood Orange Review, The Picolata Review, Boston Literary Magazine, Working Writer, and four anthologies. She is the author of two nonfiction children’s books (Capstone Press, 2006) and is currently at work on a third. In addition to writing, she serves as editor of the literary journal, Apple Valley Review. Her website is www.leahbrowning.com.

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© 2007 Leah Browning