...small scale versus large scale. A 1:1200 map is larger scale than a 1:1,000,000 map. The 1:1,000,000
map would usually be called a small-scale map...even though the 1:1,000,000 map would show a much
larger area than the 1:1200 map.
I love maps with the largest scale
lined with the smallest roads, one-
laners in the countryside, unnamed,
unwinding, following water or valley,
tucking itself between hills. At 69,
I want every inch to equal one inch,
my finger on the ground, tracing my way.
My palms crease with new narrow lines,
the dry bark of dead ends, a maze
with no center. My dead leave no maps.
They blow through stop signs and off cliffs.
I pull away to 1:1,000,000, but still I see
details of disappearance. Oh, the delicate
erosion of old maps, folded and refolded,
wearing at the seams. Our children were born
map-less, their smooth unlined skin,
perfect without direction. Even maps are
full of lies. Once in the desert, my road
disappeared into sand, despite the map’s
steady line. I backed up a long, long way
until I found a place to turn around
without getting buried. Even the widest
roads are too narrow, thin as a child’s hair.
We are all lost.