| bountiful
you were the first woman i went to the ends of the earth for, tracking where you stashed your score, your loot, the prize of your theft and the accomplice paid to weave you an alibi that not even light could escape. i felt a lash of wind when you tipped your hat, smiled and your trench coat twirled as you faded into the crowd. but i knew eventually you would be found, where i captured flags and pinned them into the pages of my atlas, a collection of butterflies representing six continents. written beneath each the currency, local language, and which of your henchmen i found in each locale. one day, you’d slip. we’d finally meet in Istanbul where i’d look into your brown eyes, resist pressing against your thighs and connect your wrists and mine with my handcuffs. no one realized your modus operandi, that you and your crew didn’t steal to fund revolutions or feed the great beast greed. your thefts had a noble purpose: tricking elementary schoolers into learning about our global geography, especially avoiding Belgium at all costs because it is the birthplace of the unholiest of vegetables, the Brussels sprout. that’s why every time i had you wrists cinched with stainless steel, a look in your in your eyes that’d make any man peel their inhibitions and hand the combination to the safe that guarded their very soul into your delicate hands, i unlocked you and allowed you to fly free, not giving a damn about my boss at the Acme Detective Agency. Carmen, i knew looking at you your destiny was greater than mine and i tracked you across the globe, through the mysteries of space, and the fickle nature of time and every time i caught you, i’d have to let you go for you were never meant to be behind bars as long as you could teach children the capital of Cape Town, great moments in history, the geometry of stars. i hoped that one day, i would trap you with the hardness of a diamond engagement ring and when you walked down the aisle, Rockapella would sing the question that everyone in their life asks: where in the world is Carmen Sandiego and i would finally answer, right here beside me somewhere in Portugal. now catch us if you can. |