Drain Me

I stayed in this city

When I thought it would drain me

Could feel the road tugging

Against the anchor of family

And I watched the procession

As they packed up and moved away

I resolved to look forward

In the place that I would stay

Took the 54 uptown

To the house I was sorting through

While packing up memories

In my childhood bedroom

I filled up these boxes

With things I should have thrown away

They still sit in the corner untouched in any way

At a break in a long day

Found an old ball point pen sketch

While explaining my drawing

With unaffected disinterest

I realized I still daydream

About being a woman

It’s fine, it's just something

Underneath everything

Like all of these boxes

Heavy with sentiment

Sealed and unopened

I lay under the weight of it

And I stayed in this city

When it felt like a home to me

On every block a new landlord

Trying to evict me

Yeah, I was sleeping on couches

At all my friends’ houses

Washing rich people’s dishes

And losing myself in it