Leaving In the Rain

When all you want is walk away, leave the mistakes behind, and hit the open road.

I stood in the mud

And grease on the

Side of the road

Wearing black Converse

And army pants

With a sign around my neck

Saying "Anywhere But Here"

 

The lash of the rain bit

The back of my neck

As I struggled with the weight

Of all I owed in an

Olive drab duffle bag

 

The headlights cut the

Savage wet night as

The vehicle drew nearer

First car in over an hour

And a boy my age stopped

Opened the door and

Stood up to look me over

 

“Where are you going?” He asked

I held up my sign but the rain

Had turned it to cardboard mush

“Wherever you’re headed is fine”

I told him as the rain slashed at my face

 

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll hurt you?” he asked

“Nope,” I replied opening the

Passenger door and climbing

In with my soaked duffle bag

Which I tossed in the back seat

“I am hoping you might kill me.”

 

He looked at me like

I was some lost remnant

Of a an unknown primitive

Culture then climbed in

The driver’s seat next to me

 

“Do you want to listen to the radio?” he asked

“Of course,” I told him as

I squeezed rainwater from

My long black braids

“Play anything but the Beatles.”

He laughed and cranked up Janis

As we headed down the highway

With the wipers keeping time

-Zoe Richardson 

Author's Note

Thank you for reading. All comments welcome!