Time and Place

For years I was lost
in thought about everything
until I found a wooden ruler
in the back of my desk drawer
that I used to measure space
to such a degree that
on graph paper
I could map my entire life
with the help
of time
yet couldn't find
exactly where I was at
until I broke the wooden ruler
and used words
written on the back
of that graph paper
to describe how I felt
during numerous moments
in time
and I found each moment
had a place
that I soon discovered
was much more interesting
than those places
on the other side
of that piece
of graph paper.