once upon a time, in a nearby kingdom,
one of the many midwest metroplexes
a sprawling, but self sufficient kingdom
protected by a federally funded interstate moat,
a traveler arrived at the rental car counter.
i decided that since i had never been there before
i would pay the extra money for the gps gadget
it had the comforting trademarked name, "neverlost"
following its soothing commands
i boldly crossed the drawbridge,
drove through the gates of the kingdom.
ah, the wonders of neverlost
i found hotels,
homes of friends,
movie theaters,
dry cleaners,
churches,
obscure restaurants
through-ways, bypasses,
toll roads, cutoffs, parkways.
no problem for me.
navigating like a native,
i totally owned this kingdom.
when the day of departure finally arrived
i pressed the buttons, praying for guidance,
the neverlost beeped and sang
i practically floated flawlessly
back to the rental car return
and then it hit me
being neverlost
meant that i also, never found.
taking the same computationally correct route
as every other efficient traveler
i never found my own way, with its own quirky sign posts
never had a chance to discover the kindness of a stranger
never experienced that moment when i suddenly understood
the connections between one place and another
the surprise, as two distinct pieces of a mental map
are suddenly seamlessly joined
sure i was neverlost,
but i was also never anywhere
except in my car taking orders
from a kindly robot woman.
i had hovered a fourth dimensional millimeter
above the ground and never really set foot
inside the kingdom.
these days everyone carries neverlost in their pockets
which makes it harder and harder to do the important work
when you go someplace new
of getting gloriously and perfectly lost