Lindsey Lucas, Missouri Western State University

From the stacks of crumbling
water-warped pages
on my grandpa’s basement shelves
I uncovered and brushed off
a thin clinging layer
of dust and cherry cigar smoke
from a pile of yellow-edged
National Geographics.
They were like Incan mummies
preserved in that dark space,
their spines unbroken,
wrapped with spice and holding
new discoveries like
small treasures in their shriveled
paper-thin hands.
I sifted through them,
marveling at the glossy photos
of haunting eyes and street-corners.
My future was full of shutters
and frozen smiles, full
of markets and dusty feet,
fresh figs and carved elephants.
The covers slowly lost
their sharp corners and colors,
the yellow fading to soft gold
in the bright light of my room.
The knee-high pile leaned against
my bed until I was old enough
to drive past airports.

Lindsey Lucas is graduating from Missouri Western State University in December with a double major in literature and creative writing & publishing. This is her fourth semester as social media editor for the undergraduate literary journal The Mochila Review, and she is also the cohost of Mochila Chat, a podcast for undergraduate writers. In her free time, she blogs, drinks too much coffee, and watches cooking shows.