Tearing the Arrogant Map

A colorful tourist trail map lay taped across the wooden pergola post, deliberately pinned at my eye level to dictate where I ought to walk. It thought its flimsy lines and printed arrows could steer my stride. Ridiculous scheme. I grabbed the stiff paper edge with both fists and pulled downward with all my weight. The tape snapped, the glossy cardstock shredded into two jagged halves, and I stomped the torn scrap flat against the cedar beam under my heavy heel. Now I face the open path on my own terms.