No! We can’t leave here!
Blood thumps like thunder in my ears as I run,
From my father,
Bearer of bad news,
From my mother,
Sitting quietly beside him,
I do not understand.
I do not accept.

No! We can’t leave here!
Where, like a small scared bird,
I learned to ride a bike,
Where I grew from a toddler to a child,
Child to teen,
Where all the fish I raised died like flies,
I do not understand.
I do not accept.

No! We can’t leave here!
I am not a sheep,
Being moved against my will,
He says his company’s getting downsized,
It’s not his fault are his words,
I understand.
I do not accept.

No! We can’t leave here!
This is where my friends are,
Where my school is,
I haven’t known another home in thirteen years,
But a change could be good,
Like the seasons, I could bend to a new home
I understand.
I accept.

Yes, I will accept it.
We must move,
I walk back to my house,
Slow as a snail,
Trying to delay the moment I must face them,
The sun is setting,
I shield my eyes from the glare,
And I smile,
My new home is on that horizon,
Waiting for me.
I understand.
I accept.