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Safe Travels

At a rest stop off I-84,

people shuffle in and out,

as a halfhearted few

remember to wipe their boots.

Salt and melted snow form lines of footprints

from the doors to the bathrooms,

where people dispense bubblegum colored soap

onto the palms of their hands

and the sounds of toilets flushing

join the noise of air blasting

from hand dryers.

At the food counter, a woman

in her brown apron uniform

calls out order numbers,

stopping at 52.

52… 52…

She calls out one more time,

but 52 is nowhere to be found.

A boy blows into his straw,

shooting the paper wrapper

onto the brown tile floor,

while his younger brother laughs

and blows bubbles in his soda.

By evening, the crowd dies down,

leaving only the sound of a worker

mopping the floors for tomorrow’s morning rush.

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Bio:

Caitlin O’Halloran is a biracial Filipino-American poet living in Rochester, New York. She has a Bachelor of Arts from Boston University in Philosophy and History. Her work has been published in Vast Chasm Magazine, Midsummer Dream House, and Apricity Magazine. www.caitlinohalloran.com @selfcaremaven on Twitter and Instagram

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