83 Steps
By Tor Hyams & Lisa Rothauser


His room
Their house
A cot is not a bed

No space
No rest
A shoe thrown at my head

Overhearing conversations
That I’m the source of their frustrations
Missing all the things I used to know...

Glow stars
On my ceiling
A song about Major Tom

Smelling of cigarettes
Laughing
With my mom

Maybe I would be okay
If I could make it home today
And looking out this window I can see

It’s Just 83
Steps away

Mismatched chairs and quotes clipped and taped to the fridge
A walk around the lake
Daybreak
Scavenging and finding olds cogs and wheels
That life was real

A shooting star
I wish I could go back in time
Spacesuit
Engine’s on
Brave and strong
That’s what they’d say
If I could just go
83 steps away, away...

I see a light in her window
Her silhouette through the shade
Is this a dream where I’ll wake up and find she’s not there
But I don’t care
It’ll be okay
In just 83 steps away,
Away

Out the door
83 steps
Across the field
83 steps
Through the woods
83 steps
Jump the fence
83 steps

I’m almost home, follow the light (83 steps)
I believe this is the night (83 steps)
I’ll be free it’s finally up to me in 83
Only 83 steps away