I leave my schoolbooks on the bed And pack a change of clothes. I count the coins I've put aside, Then slide the zipper closed I pull on a shirt with long sleeves To hide the marks. I'll leave before he gets back home, Before the shouting starts. If I disappeared tonight, Would the silence feel like home? No more doors that slam and shake, No more fear deep in my bones. If I vanished with the dark, Would the world just let me go? I don’t need a place to stay, Just somewhere I don’t know. I stop a taxi, climb inside. He asks me where to go. I hold my school bag to my chest. Just somewhere I don’t know. An old couch dumped behind the mall. A blanket, worn and thin. A dog barks somewhere in the distance. I pull my elbows in. At least no doors will slam out here. The morning bus pulls to the curb. There’s someone from my class. I turn to face the shuttered shop And wait for it to pass. A man comes out to sweep the steps. He tells me I can't stay. I lift my school bag from the ground And get out of his way. Where will you go? Where will you go? A school bag’s all you’ve got. Where will you go? You wanted freedom , wanted out. Here’s the world ,now what? “Avi, what’s up? Open up.” “Come and help me with the groceries.” One second, Mom. I freeze. I’m still sitting on the bed. I slide the bag beneath it. If I disappeared tonight, Would the silence feel like home? No more doors that slam and shake, No more fear deep in my bones. If I vanished with the dark, Would the world just let me go? I don’t need a place to stay, Just somewhere I don’t know. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow.
