I remember the night
when mom had kicked us out
and threw our clothes
into the street

I remember when she said
Leave. Get the hell out of here and never come back.
and so we did
with two dollars and thirty-seven cents
in the pockets
of your faded jeans
and a piece of gum
from hours earlier
stuffed into my favorite pair
of ripped jeans

I remember looking back
at her when we pulled out of the driveway
and seeing her stare at me
with such anger and hatred
but I forced my eyes
to leave hers and take in
every detail possible
of the house standing behind her

I remember asking you
where we would go that
October night and your hesitated reply
was unsure with a shaken voice
but you reassured me
that everything was going to be
okay and that you would
take care of me
no matter what happened

I remember moving in
to our father's house
the next day
after sleeping in your truck
the night before
at first things went well
we started school there
and got new clothes
but then it got worse
once alcohol entered
his body

But more than that I remember
finally breaking down
and crying our eyes out
years after this had happened to us
we did not talk
but rather said everything
that needed to be said
we talked and cried until 4am
that night until falling asleep

I remember how I felt
knowing that we made it
we were not slaves anymore
we were not victims of abuse anymore
we were not caged like animals in a house anymore
we were alive
we were free
we were warriors who had fought a vigorously insane battle
and we had won