wear your lapis lazuli
for protection, your mascara
black as night under your eyes
& layers & layers of clothing
when you ask to enter Kur.

(it will all be gone come morning)

don’t believe a single thing you hear
for the gods and goddesses like to
scare tourists during the fall season
& they’ve had eons to make it good

(there is never only one version of the story)

leave offerings. learn names. figure out
how to plead when you inevitably go on trial
for not understanding a custom or code. don’t worry,
it happens. just budget three extra travel days.

(familiarize yourself with all exits & learn to run fast.)

finally, once you leave, make sure
to get your hand — or back — stamped for re-entry
it’ll leave a scar, it will burn under too much light
but consider it a souvenir you’ll appreciate with time.

(we promise the next season will be half-off)

[Eve Morton lives in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada with her partner and two sons. She spends the days running after those boys and the nights brainstorming her next creative project. At some point, she writes things down, usually while drinking copious amounts of coffee. Find updates at authormorton.wordpress.com.]