Runaway

There is a world out there where I belong:
loved by a mother and father who understand
my dreams, who listen to my fears of my older

cousin, his touch, or how boys make fun of me
in school. There is a world out there where I can
grow up to love myself and others like me, where

soft-spoken boys can speak boldly. I will
call it poetry, each memory an inspiration. All
this pain, these dismembered and abandoned cars,

these empty lots left behind where I know deep
in my heart that there is innocence in playing
with dolls, reaching for rainbows, books, even Mami’s

pretty dresses. I will not be alone in this world.
I have somewhere to run. I do not know exactly
where. I have no maps or stars to guide me through

the night. If it turns out that this is my world,
maybe I should simply learn to laugh and live
and let the others catch up to me instead.

Emanuel Xavier is author of several poetry books including Selected Poems of Emanuel Xavier and Love(ly) Child. His books have been finalists for International Latino Book Awards and Lambda Literary Awards and his work has appeared in Poetry, A Gathering of the Tribes, Best American Poetry, and elsewhere.