The teen shelter I was living in was closing. The night before, I came back from farewell dinner with red eyes. The staff mistook a few tokes for too many feelings; I was surprised when an ambulance arrived during breakfast. It took me five towns away to a locked ward. When I got discharged six days later, my mother picked me up. She drove towards her house but suddenly pulled over to the side of the road. “I can’t do this anymore,” she said. “You have to get out.” I did. She drove away. I had no place to go.
Elizabeth S. Wolf has published 5 books of poetry. Her memoir chapbook "Did You Know?" was a Rattle prizewinner. She’s happily retired in Massachusetts.