Home

I put in some overtime last night

and clocked out a little later

then I should have.

Had to make sure to turn off

the light

before I locked the door

and walked as slow as I could

to my car

just to sit there for an hour,

scrolling through my phone.

Knew I should have just put it

in gear

but I did not want to go home.

So I drove and I drove and

wandered the city that saved me

because I did not want to be alone.

I do not know any of them, the houses

that strolled by me as I loitered in my car

inside of neighborhoods I did not belong in

but when I studied the yellow-lit windows

I felt at home

in a city that is not my home

but ended up saving me anyways.

I wish I could say thank you

to every porch light still on

and every red front door

that made me feel a little less like

falling apart on the bathroom floor

when it was finally 2:45 in the morning

and I had to head home to get ready for bed

because I had to be up and ready to

leave for work by 7AM

and face me, myself and I

with the sun shining bright,

making me forget everything

I felt the night before when I

confided in a city, not my own,

that saved me despite

wanting not to be saved