Motel Heart by Leah Mueller

Someone always wants to live inside me,
though I don’t understand why. A folded
part of them lies tucked within my body
 
like a glove compartment map.
Unfold the sections, smooth the creases,
search for the lines where cities intersect:
 
somewhere between the rest area and the next exit,
beyond the sign that reads “food, gas, lodging.”
 
I never learned how to stay empty. Never
could bear the sight of cars passing by
without stopping. My light shines for others,
 
extinguished only when there is no longer room
for one more exhausted traveler,
searching for a snug place to sleep.


Leah Mueller is the author of ten prose and poetry books. Her latest book, "Land of Eternal Thirst" was released in 2021. Leah’s work appears in Rattle, Midway Journal, Citron Review, The Spectacle, Miracle Monocle, Outlook Springs, Atticus Review, Your Impossible Voice, etc. It has also been featured in trees, shop windows in Scotland, poetry subscription boxes, and literary dispensers throughout the world. Visit her website at www.leahmueller.org.
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