Photo by Emily Ferrara
Left-Hand Turn
by David Somerset
I drive up to make a left-hand turn.
I look to the right, nothing.
I look to the left, nothing.
But I still can’t go.
I can’t believe this.
I have never just pulled out into this intersection.
My brain makes me check again,
and then again.
Still feeling uneasy,
I move through the intersection,
quickly glancing in the rear-view mirror.
Still nothing.
David Somerset lives in Salem, MA with his wonderful wife and small disagreeable dog. He writes and performs poetry, stories and music at local open mics. A member of the Salem Writers Group and the Tin Box Poets, Dave’s work has appeared in the Merrimac Mic Anthology, Whisper and the Roar, Oddball magazine, Ugly Writer, Brave and the Reckless, 3rd Wednesday Magazine, Wild Roof Journal, Riza Press, and Lily Poetry Review.
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Editor's note: The poet prefaced "Left-Hand Turn" with the following quote: "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here? asked Alice. "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat. It's no surprise that Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland is both inspiration and reference as we attempt to describe the sometimes mind-altering, mind-expanding experiences of living through the pandemic. This piece was inspired by the earliest days of lockdown.
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