I moved rashly.
Minimalist planning,
One foot in front of the other
Baby Steps.
Choose a place, get there, survive.
One, two, three.
Every day I’m striving.
Struggling.
Turning to my gut
Finding strength as I make it.
Making ends meet
Meeting new friends
Determined to do it
Or die trying.

Parents check in
In their way
Concerned
Bad haircut
Bad apartment
Bad traffic
Bad choices
Silly girl.
This isn’t what you really want.
Fix your mind.
Find a job.
Change your hair.
Dear Mom & Dad
I am not my hair.

I took their help.
I do it every month.
I’d be homeless without it.
Shame on me.
Sellout.
Fake.
Poser.
Underemployed.
Underwhelming.
Useless.
What do you mean
You are happy here?
You’ve never been happy.

I’m okay.
Happy isn’t a constant state.
I’m lonely.
I’m starting over.
I don’t have parents
After May.
That’s the ultimatum
They proposed.
I’m content with that.
Over the Nothing
I expected.