A condition of perpetual departure

by MJ Griego

I am a woman in that I wait

Mom trained it in

Built my knees to put me to the curbside watching

Cars carrying people away

Faces warped because they’re leaving so fast

I love suspense

I love the bird in the stomach once gravity grabs my vehicle down the hill


I watch the horizon for the city bus to take me

(No one else is available, I asked)

I watch over the passings


Finally it comes

The too-far away heart

By that time, I’m on the other side of town

Locked outside our empty apartment, holding back barking

Like If someone finally came home

Leashed me in the yard, it would be an honor

MJ Griego is a peer support worker, facilitator, and artist.  They hope to create slow and stable forms of change through trauma recovery and accessible community work.  Most days you will find them in their kiddie pool in a cow print bikini, staring up at the rain.