appealing

The Maynard
Fall 2018

Caitlin Thomson

A Common Trap

The city of hills inside me grows lonely
as I scrub dishes and wipe down tables.

I am not a waitress or a busboy, no one
is paying me to do this.

When snow comes to the city of hills,
I long to go sledding, to buy a glass

of mulled wine from the right stall in the market,
instead there are papers to grade, toilets to clean,

a toddler to keep one eye on, while typing an email
to a friend, who feels as imagined as the city of hills.