OUT

Michael, age 17

Let me in, away from the rainy days,

Lend me shelter to defend authority’s hand grenades;

Let me out of Social Services’ hands,

Let me sing on the top of the stands;

Give me a mind of my own to think outside the box,

Give me the keys to roam outside your locks;

The State owns me, so I’ll only be what you’ll allow me to see,

Make me the landlord, so I may run free;

Give me a hobby so I don’t swallow these pills,

Make me wings to fly outside the desert hills;

Let me swim with no boundaries to awake my mate,

And back around the world to a seasons warm waters and its familiar date;

Give me the sky to fly,

So I can pick my future with an eagle’s eye;

For a decade now you’ve had power and control over my sight,

Let me explore, cause for my 18^th birthday I will receive all your confiscated rights.