No 1: PAPER TRAIL OF THE SELF

IMAGE BY LUCIA AUERBACH

BY: MIA FOSTER

Between you and between me 

We have collected arcs 

Of things weve been and said and done 

In a plethora of marks 

You find them in the margins 

Of tales from far away 

Or in a note card to say “i miss you” 

From when you were away 

Above it all, what we find 

Is a trail always back to divine 

Pristine, preserved, and tangible 

A reminder of who you were 

If you lose it, you can find it 

In this paper trail we leave behind 

The trash we throw away 

Post it notes and birthday cards 

All a reflection of the sway 

When i dont know who i am 

It comes down to the words ive left behind 

To remind me of the girl ive been 

Never falling out of line 

She is still alive and well

Breathing in the smell 

Of the lightly treaded paper 

She journeys in 

Living in the margins and in notes from long ago 

I see all the people ive been 

the words which precede me 

Living on in memory 

Immortalized in ink