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.