This month it was my turn to pose a challenge for the Inklings. I was navigating my way through Iceland and Wales while trying to come up with something, so my mind naturally turned toward maps and journeys. My prompt, in a nutshell, was this, “Write a poem about maps or travel or journeys, real or imagined.” Then I promptly got back to engaging with GPS and real maps.

One of the highlights of this summer was my trip to meet up with the Inklings. In person! Like in real life! It took some doing (and extraordinary organizational skills on Heidi’s part), but after years and years of Google Meet and Zoom meetings, we finally managed to get together. It was such a rich and rewarding time! I thought I’d probably write about that journey. But just when you think you know where you’re going, life has a way of throwing a curveball. So, here’s what I came up with this morning.

Searching for a Road Map

if only life
included
its own key

to translate
each icon
each color

to denote
the detours
the dead end

©Molly Hogan

I also played around with a triolet, using a collage background I created during our Inklings retreat (thanks, Linda!).

Laying Down a Road Map

Despite our best intentions
our journey carves its own way.
We stray from the map’s imagined dimensions,
despite our best intentions.
There are detours, circumventions.
As today becomes yesterday,
despite our best intentions
our journey carves its own way.

©Molly Hogan

If you want to see what the other Inklings have done with this prompt, click on the links below:

Mary Lee @ A(nother) Year of Reading
Linda @A Word Edgewise
Margaret @Reflections on the Teche 
Heidi @my juicy little universe
Catherine @ Reading to the Core

This week’s Poetry Friday Roundup is hosted by Ruth at her blog, There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town.