Defensive Travelers

I wanted the perfect that you are
To slip a little more easily 
Into the giant world around you
Without having to drag you 
Among the squeaks and loud noises
The jumping and crashing 
And wrong sorts of foods

Squishing your hand and begging for a map
Cramped in the crooked parts
Mumbling my way through inaccurate translations
Finding you in the unexpected but
Tethered to the predictable:
The monologues about trains and penguins 
And how the symbols changed

Upside down, shifting the focus
Needing me so much less 
Than I needed you
Swallowing truth in buckets of wine 
Bending, but never breaking,
At least not in front of you.