Holly Chatelain is a writer and editor new to the Boston area, having recently moved from Denver to Revere. She is a managing editor of Ibbetson Street Press. This poem was inspired by her cross-country drive from Denver to Boston to make the move.

Leaving

Holly Chatelain

In Denver, I never needed a compass
To know which way was West
Now the mountains disappear behind me,
giving way to endless farmland
Even the air is flat
I’m tired of saying hello to the cows
Finally arriving at a stop in
Goodland, Kansas
Saved in advance on Google Maps:
The World’s Largest Easel,
Holding the world’s largest Van Gogh
The canvas propped on three gigantic wooden legs,
Enormous sunflowers rest against the
unbroken blue sky
A group of kids with baggy jeans and
Manic Panic hair
Smoke cigarettes in the gravel parking lot
The girl laughs at something one of the boys said,
tucks her hair behind her ear,
and dreams of leaving
I stop to snap a picture
And I put the car in drive

— Holly Chatelain