He left New York without a word
while mother was at church.
My brother called me from Amarillo.
He's running away again;
thirty-three years old
and still doesn’t know
that he takes himself
everywhere he goes.
Out of cash in Albuquerque
wired him enough gas to reach LA.
But never made it to Western Union.
What happened is still unknown.
His car turned up in Kingman, Arizona,
but he was nowhere to be found.
Haunting visions of his body
lying in the desert
eyes melting
blistered lips
vultures tearing at his flesh
gray and lifeless.
He was running away from himself again
and perhaps this time he made it.
Author notes
This really happened, but my brother ended up in jail and not dead, thank goodness.
A contest entry
- Vagabonds by Wanted By You.
364 points, ended January 29, 2008, 10 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 6 of 6
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Oops, forgot the clappy guys
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Oh, I remember when this happened. How is he doing now? Hope things are going well. Talk to you soon.
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Wow. Okay, I love this poem for a million reasons, and I will now list them:
1. It is based on true events
2. My 16 year old brother runs away about every 3-6 months
3. I liked the title
3. Like the flow, and how it sometimes rhymed and sometimes didnt. That worked for this poem.
Thanks for entering my contest! -
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Sorry to hear about your brother. I know I worry about my brother when he takes off and I don't know where he is. Each time it gets easier to tell myself that he will be okay, because he's done it before, but at the same time, I know that I may never see him again.
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Exactly. That's why I appreciate your poem so much.
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I hope that your brother grows out of his running away.
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