5th Grade Memories

A young boy walks in the
Rain alone.
Tears hidden by the mist.
Anger and hurt in his heart.

On the side of the highway
A car pulls over and offers him
A ride.
He lives in a place and a time
Where that's still okay.
He knows the family that
Opens their car doors.

I'm going to my friend's.
Yes my Mom and Dad
Know where I am.
They said it was ok.

Lies from embarrassment.
They can't know he's
Running away.

His friend's parents warily
Accept more lies
That tumble so easily out
Of his mouth now.

Together the boy and his
Friend try to figure out
How he can still go to
School and not run into
His teacher father.

So naive.

It's funny. Even in the
Midst of disobedience
And striking out at his
Family to inflict the
Hurt he feels so deeply inside,
He has an odd sense of right and wrong.
Of course he must go to school.
That's what you do.

Freedom, wickedness,
Lost, yet warm at his
Friend's house.
The possibilities open up
Terrifyingly in front of him.
The lies are creeping in on him.
The phone rings.
His father is on his way.

Relief and fear.
An embrace that will never be
Forgotten.
A boy in his father's arms,
Crying,
The rain blowing in from
The open door.

It's just a beginning.
The start of a deep dive into
The soul of the boy.
What makes him tick,
Why does he feel pain
So much more than those
Around him?

Riding home with a
Relieved father, not an angry one,
He realizes what his has always
Known.

He is loved.