I’m running away.

I’m convincing Love to escape to a small town on the opposite side of the country

that shuts down on Sunday mornings

so that the whole town can attend the non denominational church on the corner

that sits next to the park filled with tall trees

scarred with the 80 year old initials of lovers

that ran away and eloped in that

very same church, just as I am going to.

Only not really because I have tripped into my favorite routine of

smiling at Love and then pushing him away

and I tell Everyone that Love is selfish and untrue

and Everyone tells me that I need to let someone in

and I tell her that’s a stupid phrase because

there is no one to let in, and even if there is,

it’s not like I am going to run away and elope with them

because Consequence is my neighbor

and he keeps a close watch on me.

No, I’m actually going to go to college.

I’m going to major in Art so

I can decide that my calling is to become an English teacher

that focuses more on discovering yourself

than how to spell pragmatic or infallible

and who loves each and every student

even if they taunt me like the purpose of their entire being

is to get me to quit my job

even though I could’ve retired 12 times over

with the money I’ve earned from writing poetry.

Only not really because I am writing a poem right now

and it will only be heard by

maybe 15 of the 7 billion people living on this planet

and Reality keeps telling me to give up on those dreams

because I’m barely passing high school and she

just happens to know that Opportunity

only knocks on the doors of honor roll students

so I come home sad and Comfort tells me that

Reality and Opportunity are just a bunch of

self centered b-i-t-c-h-e-s’s and

who needs them anyways

but I know that Comfort is a liar with good intentions

who tends to sugar coat things

so they at least taste good before you swallow them.

No, I’m actually going to work at a locally owned movie theater and

unknowingly earn less than minimum wage

and split the rent with my best friend Hope

who is dating Abuse and has 3 kids

and just as many jobs and

I’m going to go out every night and

party all of my problems away and

skip all of my Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to go get

wasted and be perfectly fine with that

because that is all I know and that is all I will ever know

and that is all I have ever earned

because I have never tried enough to get me anywhere else.

Only not really because honestly

I don’t know what I am going to do

next year or next month or tomorrow or after I walk away from you and

I don’t know what I want or what I am destined to have

and I keep trying to figure it out and

Time tells me that it will come to me naturally.

And I think he means it.