Poem: “Friday The 13th” – Hawaii Hitchhiking

Originally Posted: April 14th, 2012
Updated: May 23rd, 2020

On Friday the 13th, I had a very lucky day hitchhiking.

A beautiful family picked me up on the side of the road in Lihue, Kaua’i, Hawaii. They even gave me $10 for the bus fare.

I left them this original poem underneath the bus bench they dropped me off at…hopefully they received it. Mahalo!

FRIDAY THE 13TH

Everyone’s got a number.
You’re either lucky
or you’re not. Me?
I’ve been spinning
off a dime, drenched
in spontaneous time–
caught the last flight out
of Honolulu. Grabbed howzit’s
from strangers with the best intentions.
All this
despite waking
from a dream where my ex
was a dentist, feeding me
laughing gas, prepping
for an abortion procedure.
Sometimes the things that come out
of us aren’t really things, at all–
these are moments you’re shedding,
memories bleeding through
as you thumb your way in life.
A mirror epiphany: it all
ends, eventually. Now how
will you spend it?

–eira
april 13th 2012