Years ago, when I was younger,
I guess midway through my teens
One rule that should have been taught to me
Is things aren’t always what they seem.

As a child we learn to love
Pain and suffering we do not know
But all that changes, love turns to hate
As one begins to grow.

Your mother becomes the nosy one,
Your father strict and overbearing
Your siblings are angels in their eyes
For them, there’s no shortage of caring.

You spend more time away from them
It doesn’t matter where you go.
Until eventually your life at home is gone
Disappearing like a shadow.

The streets become a way of life
The subway your best friend
All you have are the clothes on your back
No one’s there for you in the end.

Your life has changed so much, so fast
The days go by like years.
A year ago, you had a nice warm bed
And were loved, you remember through the tears.

And that is why, on one dark night
You find the corner phone
And with the quarter found on the street
You call and say, “Dad, I want to come home.”

You find home’s not so bad anymore,
Even after all the pain.
And hate has finally turned to love.
It’s not them; it’s you who’ve changed.

SB/2014