The door slams
Behind my lurching steps
Keys jam the ignition
A gas pedal crushes the floor
Away from yet another fight
Away from Mother throwing my possessions
I drive
Past abandoned cabins
Just down the road
Where I’ve slept
Illegally
And never alone
I drive
Past the million dollar house
I once worked in
It was spotless
And I kept it that way
My first job
I drive
Around Deer Lake
Where Nikki jumped
Tayler flopped
Lacey swam
And Jordyn dove
I drive
Down the road
I used to ride my bike
That leads to the library
What was my safe haven
That is now closed
I stop
At my childhood school
To walk past the magic towers
Home of my almost first kiss
To sit on the inside of a tire
A place I used to hide
Just as I am now
I stare
At the stars above my head
From a place I used to know
To a place I never knew
I stand
To drive again.