To be lost in the city, there is a need

to be found. Turn on GPS –

There is no button to mark yourself as safe.

The Assistant says, “The traffic is safe,”

you are insignificant on the map. The party is

a beer and a stranger’s unauthorized arm away.

The Assistant has none of that, so it bosses you

around the map. The high school friend you knew

is at the party and in past tense. Knowing them is a

tense continuity. The Assistant knows present grammar.

The Assistant is remote yet takes control. No stars since

you fell from the sky, a graying dot on milky roadways.

Lights clubbing at your shine, you control filters that

have been filtered for you. The Assistant ensures that

it is safe. That your friend lives in the future.

That they will send a card in a scroll.