Stay put. Do not move.
Your arms become jungle
vines. Latch them on to
the branches and swing
from the trees, or your
legs will root to the ground.
Find a safe place to hide. Caves
are the best, especially the ones
with large boulders to roll over
the entrance. Throw the bones
of your past outside for the mice
to eat. They will have a feast.
Wear a large green monocle
over your one eye to protect
it from the harmful rays of the sun.
Let your hair grow long
and wild until people start
to forget you are lost
and stop looking for you.
Just when everyone appears
to have given up, start a large
fire. Throw green wood on it
so the smoke rises to the sky.
Now, here is the important
part. Attention will now be paid
to you. One man will have entered
the far side of the cave. He will
be burning the sharp point of a long,
thin tree trunk to ram into your eye.
Show him you are blind already.
The shadows on the cave wall
are now in stereophonic 3D.
Raise your hand and touch
the hologram of the vase.
See. None of it is real.
The echoes from the cave wall
are now in Dolby Surround
Sound. Put on your headset.
It may be time to use
a map. Just remember
all paths lead back
into the wilderness.
Carry a cellphone.
Alert your Facebook
friends. They will
get back to you.
Keep in mind why you
went into the wilderness
in the first place.
Tell the rescuers
to find their own caves.
Jimmy Pappas won the 2017 Readers Choice Award at Rattle. His book Scream Wounds contains poems based on veterans' stories. He won the 2019 Rattle chapbook contest for Falling off the Empire State Building. His interview with editor Tim Green is on Rattlecast #34. His poem "The Gray Man" has been nominated for a Pushcart prize.