the essential map:
draw a yellow circle
around your waist
work outward
crayons for the
blues and greens
draw outside the lines
dirt under your fingernails
for land masses, river’s edge
political borders
always in red
use a razor
cut at the base
of your neck
draw scars
across arms, torso
make new ones
before old ones heal
clear your mind
of the history
when blood stops flowing
begin again