Impossible Tasks

 You keep giving me these impossible tasks, and even in the midst of them, I am waiting for everything to start. This time tomorrow, I swear I'll be gone. Just wait and you'll see. Just give me one good reason not to. Just don't you make me do it. Just don't you make me paint one more piece of trim.

If I stick around, and believe me, I won't, just don't expect any quality work to get done. You'd better just consider yourself lucky that there isn't paint all up and down the both of us. Impossible tasks, remember? If I told you that I was like every blues song you'd ever heard, but bluer, you wouldn't believe a word of it. That's why the best I can do is tell you to run, because one of us has to, and I can't stand all this watching paint dry.

Heartbreakin' Doll

 I am only happy when I am dangling by a thread, just like in every movie you ever saw about runaways and pill problems and maybe I am thinking of after school specials and health-class films, actually.

 I am afraid of all the wrong things. Keep me away from Worms and Jobs and Rainstorms and Parties. I'm looking for trouble.

Four Years

The first time I ran away, I thought I was going to France, and I cut my bangs crookedly like I did last week. I got them evened out in Chicago, instead.


Collage (with Runaways) by Aly R., 2008

Washington, D.C. II

You know, I ran away this weekend. It was so blustery and I was so flustered that I looked at rocks for an hour or so, and when that didn't weigh me down, I bought a good hunk of garnet. I put it in my pocket and I held it better and tighter than I have ever held somebody's hand, which you can take for what you will. All I know is that a rock is not a rock if you say so. If I say so.