MAP BOY / John Grey

MAP BOY

I’ve always had a fascination for maps.

I love the shapes of the continents, the islands.

And the way the countries are diced up

so randomly.

Some are the size of pancakes.

Others are mere pin-pricks.

And I adore the colors –

blue oceans,

brown mountains,

green forests,

yellow deserts.

And there’s nothing like the names

of the cities and towns.

If I ever have a child,

I’m going to call him or her

Kuala Lumpur

or Ulan Bator.

And there’s nothing like going on journeys

with nothing more than a finger,

tracing the equator,

or feeling my way from pole to pole.

My first sex

was with a Playboy centerfold.

My first excursion

took me twice around page seven.