On My Own

Nine long hours in the car

Driving along strange streets,

Alien landscapes flying past my eyes.

Two days upon the road

And several more before we’d left,

I’d worried and I’d fretted,

Wondering if I would be liked,

If I could handle two weeks on my own

Away from friends and family,

And the only home I’d ever known.

It’s silly, I know that well,

But I just can’t help this way I’m feeling.

My stomach alive with snakes,

My fingers twiddle and I gaze

And I cannot seem to think straight.

I keep forgetting things

And soon, I feel I know

Every twist and turn of Roanoke’s streets.

My roommate arrived before me.

Her mother had me well acquainted,

Before we’d even said “hello.”

I heard her spiel, but could not listen,

My mind still churning in its worry stew.

One quick “goodbye,” two tight hugs later,

Tears trickling down my cheeks,

It was only my roommate and I.

We looked about the white-washed walls in fear,

So scared to realize we were alone.

Everything in the colorless space

Seems huge to us,

Only increasing our sense of loneliness.