Brialee Turner

It’s hot and sticky,
Only May but I am stuck on
The highway inching along
At the pace of stopped time.

My phone is at eight percent,
I’ve used the last juices to call my
Mother on the way home.

Traffic is congested,
There is construction and
It’s rush hour,
And now that I’ve turned
My phone off the preserve
My ability to communicate,
I have no music.

I hurriedly screenshot the maps in
Case I needed to refer to them.

Now I’m driving down W 4700 S,
Desperately looking for a place to eat.

On a whim,
I turn into a Chinese restaurant that
Has a sign that says they do
Take out.

I go inside and order Cho Mein
And orange chicken and then query
“Do you have a phone charger”?

The cashier searches around the recesses
Of the desk and hands me a cord and port.

Then he points to the deep marroon
Bricks on the wall where an outlet is.

While I wait, I flip through a magazine about
What to smoke and why and where
In Utah. And then I search
The Salt Lake City newspaper for
Concerts. I read an article about
A band that was formed
On the slopes of the mountains.

When my food is ready,
I rush out to my car to devour it.
I remember to grab a plastic fork though.

It’s delicious, even if my Cho Mein
Is not crispy like I ordered,
And the portions are large
And the chicken is decorated
With and orange slice and is
The picture of art in the sun.

When I’m finished, I route my maps
To take me to the event center,
Named after trees and it’s
In the same parking lot,
I didn’t even notice.

I park in the shade if a tree that
Has leaves like confetti and look at the
Hamburger shack across from me,
Wondering “maybe I should have
Gotten my food there”.

That thought is quickly replaced by knowing
That I am satisfied with the generous
Gifts I’ve already been supplied with.

In a sense of curiosity and greed,
I realize that I have not grabbed
A fortune cookie.

“I have to go back and get one for me,
And one for my lover”.

(Who will surely help me to eat the leftovers).

I eagerly snatch two and leave the
Restaurant before anyone else can notice
That I’ve come to claim my
Future.

In a twist of fate.
I’m back in my car and I open my
Cookie, discarding the cellophane,
Only to realize that it’s empty.

My good fortune has already come.