All my ties to this city have been neatly
cut
and tied off in bows.
My anger and rage bubble forth unctrollably
as I snap at people that I will
leave
without a second concern or moment’s thought.
It’s finally putting a name and a
finish
on the creeping alienation that I never knew I’d
started, let alone fed scraps to like a stray dog.
Money
and too much humiliation bring my fists to balls
and hasten my step out the door into the
city
that I never really knew I lived in.
There’s only one person that will keep a part of
me
in this place, and now she holds the title “friend”,
because it’s best for both of us.

I’ll cry before I leave.

I’m not a poet, she said
I can’t say pretty things, like that, she said.
I smiled at her, because she just had.

My inside-city is beautiful in its moonlight
And towers majestically in the noon sun
I wander its maze wearing a grin.

I am a large man, in shape and presence
I am a good man, in emotion and deed
I am a man, and knowing this grounds me.

My war hammer taps my leg as I walk
Aching to be used, now that it’s out.
I pat it fondly, my rage and anger.

I have found patience, in my heart.
I have found solace, in my city.
I have found myself, within myself.

My wings flex and stretch, yearning for flight
Achievement has always made me feel good
I fall off the cliff, laughing like a madman.