Sitting on the pavement
in front of a department store
that people enter for no good reason
mostly because they’re bored with life
and need some retail therapy
Taking the last puff of a cigarette
he bummed off a homeless woman
He had to clear out
It was all shouting and no silence
all ego and no sharing
all reproof and no support
No connection
No feeling
No love
No nothing
At eighteen he has to fend for himself
but he’s free, and that’s a start
They won’t look for him
They won’t declare him a missing person
He could feel the scorn in their eyes
when he walked out the door
Courage and resilience
he keeps repeating to himself
That’s all he needs now
It’s just a chapter of life that’s ended
And a new one eager to begin
with words that keep flashing in his mind:
Be patient in darkness
The dawn is coming