DDM

I was the proud owner of a dashboard decision maker

At least that’s what we called it

I found it at the bottom

Of a Lucky Charms box

 

It was made of clear plastic

A bubble revealing a die inside

Six sides that held our fate

 

Yes, no, maybe so

 

I shoved it in my pocket

And We hit the streets,

The way we always did

 

No plans

Just us

 

3 blocks from my house

I revealed the plastic toy

 

A stick of gum later

And it was on the jeep dashboard

Like a cheap Garmin

 

Hey, DDM, we’re at a red light

Should we turn left

 

Pop

 

Yes! And left we went

 

Our guide drove us through

The city

A city we had memorized

After years of riding in backseats

Carpooling through the suburbs

Gazing beyond the trees wondering

What was outside of our bubble?

 

Our version of Google maps

Lead us to our favorite place

Where rules didn’t apply

 

We ditched our shoes

Letting our toes feel the earth

 

Countless nights welcomed us

There

To the marina

A lake serving

As the backyard

To mansions we would never know

 

We sipped alcohol

From our parents homes

Smoked flavored cigars

And swam to the floating dock

With a single fear of

creatures

in the water

 

It was a place to see the stars

A place

Only found beyond the maze of

Paved country roads

 

But Somewhere along the route

I lost the guide we had that night

 

Since then, the tires of

The jeep have covered

Enough miles for the Guinness book

The marina sands

Have turned themselves

Bearing witness to

Rites of passage

Adventure-seeking souls

Looking for answers

In the night skies

Worthy of a Tom petty song

 

I can’t help but wonder

Where that dashboard decision maker

Might’ve taken me

If I hadn’t lost it

If I hadn’t lost

You