Running Away- How to

In case of emergencies.

Time should be four in the morning

Preferred days are Tuesday to Thursday

Leap down from the window

Don't bother to close it

Pack only in the striped backpack

Some twenties might be good for now

Lace tight the grey high tops

Good for any weather

Head up the street and make a left

I should have learned to ride a bike

Run too fast and I won’t last

Go beyond the sidewalk’s end

Try my hardest not to look back

Ignore the voices in my head

Cross the train tracks and I’m free

Get run over and I’m free

No need to bring a cell phone when

There is none left to call

On weekends the grocery gives out free samples

All the crackers and smoked salmon for a Friday treat

Every night the bakery closes at ten to twelve

Sleep surrounded by the pumpernickel

Forget school, no point anymore

Not a single person there cares anyway

No more chemistry notes

No algebraic equations

Before I go, stage my own death

Paint the stone bridge a gory red

No one will look for me

Change my name if I have to

Don't forget the pocket knife, stolen from

A friend whom I lost

Maybe I’ll find where cotton candy trees grow

Mountain tops iced with raspberry colored snow

That's all a dream but I could make believe

Like I believe I can escape this crap life

Cross the Hudson River

The city lights twinkle in the wavy moonlight

For now, put these plans away

I still have someone left

But anytime soon, I will say goodbye

Everyone is like a firecracker

Counting down until they explode into stars and burn me up

The day their patience and love for me dry out

That is when it will be time to run