Poem by Audrey Orenstein 

Art by Hadley Rae-Balmes 

My new dormitory requires two keys
I asked myself “how do I keep track of these?
I can’t have them loose in my pocket, no way!”
It was then that I realized that I’d have to pay
For a keychain to make them inseparable
After that, my next task was to ponder and mull
Over which place in town might sell me such a trinket
But that didn’t take long, I did not overthink it
I knew of a place that sells taxidermy
And I figured they might have a keychain for me
So my journey began as I walked toward Church Street
Unaware of the wonderful people I’d meet
My first deviation from my keychain quest
Occurred when I saw a bird in a book nest
It was Phoenix Bookstore, in a brand new location
Run by friends I had met during summer vacation
I stopped in to say hi, to which they said hi back
I bought a calendar and got back on track
It didn’t last long, as the next thing I viewed
Was a Church Street performance, one totally new
The man playing music was Incan, I know
For the sign thanking tips was proclaiming it so
He was playing ABBA with a pan flute of wood
I’d have given him cash then, if only I could
Instead, I just clapped before my quest resumed
Wondering if there might be more that I’d run into
I had finally made it to Flora & Fauna
The store I hoped might have a keychain I'd wanna
Have safe in my pocket for quite a long time
Sure enough, I found one that would suit me just fine
A white rabbit's foot with a small chain of gold
It was fuzzy and lucky and quirkily bold
I went to check out and saw that the cashier
Had some very strange jewelry hung from their ears
I asked what they were and they answered quite swiftly
The earrings were cowhide. I thought that was nifty!
We then joked for a bit about how we both owned
Normal things, but more fuzzy than most folks might know
After that, I walked home with a grin on my face
As I just had spent time in a marvelous place
The people were lovely, the views were devine
A great place not just to spend money, but time
It’s a beautiful world filled with wonderful folks
All you need to join in is some joy and some jokes.