I Misplaced The Directions To Your Home Poem by Raj Dronamraju

I wrote down the directions to your house hurriedly on a piece of scrap paper
I remember stuffing it in my pocket but later I couldn't find it
Based on my memory of our conversation and my sense of direction, I thought I could find my way

I thought it would be second nature
To lose myself in the center of where you live
Lay on your carpet, still and comforted
Waking from a living stupor and you're there
But this maze threw up one vaguely familiar fake exterior after another

We drove around for hours looking for your house
Past homes and yards that were exactly the same
We pulled over for gas
We drank sodas and made plans for later in the day

I want to classify this as mistreatment
But maybe I'll just assume you never existed
Whatever the obstacle, what's on the other side is destined to come apart in your hands
A guide wouldn't have been able to do anything differently
A guide wouldn't have been able to lead hope into a compromise with reality