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Tears fall in free flow
Reasons I don’t know
Takes me to another time
When I’d fall asleep
Crying under my blanket
Not a sound I’d make
In the darkness of the night
Away from prying eyes.

I passed my days
Lost in a world I’d create
Within the imaginations in my mind
Or lost in a world I’d weave
From the words on the leaves
Of the books that I treasured.

Some nights I’d fall asleep
Dreaming of the love and warmth
I’d perceive from the lyrics
Of the songs I’d sing along to
Tunes that touched my heart
Songs I’d memorize
That I’d listen to on repeat
On my walkman
I’d managed to hide away from Ma’am.

Other nights I’d stay awake
Looking over the courtyard
Sitting on the brown muddha
On the balcony of the first floor
Staring at the sky,
Counting all the stars,
Searching for a shooting star
On which I’d make a wish.

A wish to see my family
A wish to be hugged like before
A wish for my old life
A wish to go back home
To be with my family
To play with my friends
And everything else that I’d left behind.

I’d search for the shooting star
That would take me back home
Away from boarding school
Where I never felt at home.