A Set of Directions on How to Lose Your Way

  1. Take out your trash. Those molding strawberries are doing you no good.
  2. “Paranoia” by Heartsteel.Turn left on Myrtle Avenue.
  3. “Something in the Orange” by Zach Bryan. Change directions.
  4. Raise your head up. Admire the trees. Turn onto a street that feels vaguely familiar, but not so much that you’re completely sure where you are.
    Like a memory that could be from ten years ago, or completely fabricated by your mind.
  5. Break your own rules. Repeat the song. It’s calling to you. A diversion in the path calls to you, too, and you chance it. It’s a gated community of sorts. The security guard stands up.
    Turn around and remember how foolish you are to think you can tread upon land that’s not yours.
  6. “Little Lion Man” by Mumford and Sons. Change directions.
  7. Follow the foliage. Chase after the trees that bear the beautiful reds and golds of autumn. Take a picture. Marvel in its beauty. Press on.
  8. “Keep in mind” by Bai Sha Jaws. Cut through Cuyler Gore Park. Walk past a man who begins yelling at you.
    Worry for your safety for a brief moment. Wonder if the man will chase you down. He doesn’t.
  9. “Hayloft II” by Mother Mother. Change directions. Lose track of the trees. Wonder where the highways came from. Wonder if you’re going the right way. Remind yourself that wandering is the point of the assignment.
  10. “Enemy” by Imagine Dragons. Glance up and see Barclay’s Center.
    Avoid it.
    Walk on 6th Ave.
    This will be the only street you remember.
  11. “Arsonist’s Lullabye” by Hozier. Change directions. Walk past St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church.
    Ignore the Catholic guilt that threatens to creep up your throat. Remember that it’s Sunday. Try to remember the last time you went to Sunday mass on your own volition. Ignore the fact you can’t.
  12. Keep walking along 6th Ave. Pass by Troubled Sleep Used + New Books. Debate going inside. You don’t; you have an assignment to complete.
    Think about how many shops and hidden places there are, if only you allow yourself to look for them.
  13. "スターマイン" by Da-iCE. Walk past a burger and shake restaurant. Walk past a poke place. Think of all the food places that exist.
    Think about the fact that you may never be able to visit every single one.
  14. Keep walking. “Overdose” by natori. Make a right. Abandon your rules for three blocks. Find foliage again. Feel the relief that seeps in your skin.
  15. Think about how far you’ve walked. Check Maps, even though you’re not supposed to.
  16. Keep walking.
  17. “Partners in Crime” by Set it Off. Turn right. Fairfield Inn. Realize that this is the hotel you stayed at when you first came to Brooklyn two years ago.
    Wonder how far you could go if you had no limits. Wonder how far your body could go if you weren’t so afraid.
  18. “Limbo” by Freddie Dredd. Turn right. Realize you’ve walked in a loop. Head home.
    Wonder if all roads will lead back home no matter how far you wander.
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