hospital parking lots.

here i am again,
a witness
to a hundred
stories i can't write;
the sun sets
on my dream
of leaving.

the duality of
life confounds me.

i walk under
emergency signs,
weighing the
consequences of
following them,

while watching
interstate traffic
convince me of
life elsewhere.

i will return
home now,
driving the
thoughts away,

and when i set
foot inside,

i will be the one
who complies to life,

never going out
without a well
manufactured smile.