There behind the blue door
no one answered any bells.
The man at the front desk
wouldn’t look at me.
Do you understand? I was lost.
Anyone could steal me.
Do you understand?
I comprehended nothing.
I shoved my passport
into a crack behind the chimney.
I hid my things
and left the room.
The sun was always moving
from one sky to another.
Do you understand?
~ Patricia Hale
Patricia Hale’s poetry has appeared in various American journals and anthologies. Her awards include CALYX’s 2005 Lois Cranston Memorial Poetry Prize, first prize in the 2007 Al Savard Poetry Competition, and the 2011 Sunken Garden Poetry Prize. Her chapbook Composition and Flight was published in 2011. She serves on the board of directors for the Riverwood Poetry Series.