Stay Poem by Colette Dright

Should I leave or should I stay?
Stay for who? Stay for what?
Leave to go where? Leave to do what?
Do what you feel, follow your gut
Not concerned about the buts

As I sat on the ledge looking up to the sky
I asked my Father the W's
The when's, the what's, the where's, the why's

So many places in this world to see
So many places I'd rather be
Bland, stagnant and repetitious became all to me so boring
Looking up to the sky knowing there's more to life
Envisioned the dream of me soaring
More than half a century spent in time
So much more to my life to define
Stay? ...Nah, I'm good

Stay in this apartment, already been 12 years
Done seen it all, the smiles, the laughter, the fears and tears
Stay day after day just to see the same face
Stay and you can't even get a screen door replaced
Only one way entry in the complex, the same way to get out
It totally didn't make any sense
But now you can access entry through the two holes he made in the fence
Wow! Two dogs even went through the hole in the fence
For they too had somewhere to go
Amazing to me they knew about the shortcut
I guess dogs are smarter than we know
Stay where there's death in the driveway
And the crime rate continues to increase
Shots fired didn't even know another man on the ground deceased
Stay? ...Nah, I'm good

Stay for who? Stay for what? Stay for you? You ain't true
Stay with who? Stay with you? The one who didn't know
You had the best with me as yo girl, but then you let me go
Sorry ain't good enough, dry yo tears, keep yo lies
Begging to get me back, can you believe this dude, boy bye!
It's over, finished, for we been through
Can't drive forward looking through the rearview
Stay? ...Nah, I'm good

Stay with my children daddy? Well at least I wanted him around
APB has anyone seen for their dad was nowhere to be found
My children grew up without their dad
I guess you can't miss what you never had
Nowhere around, no child support to pay
Dropped off yo sperm and proudly went on yo way
So thankful you fulfilled your purpose, there's nothing left to do
I'm not angry, no regrets and still got mad love for you
Stay...Nah, we good

For the ultimate gift of living on earth
Were the child bearing years and me giving birth
I am proud and truly grateful for my job that was well done
For the last of my 5 kids in August will soon be twenty-one

Should I leave or should I stay?
Stay for who? Stay for what?
Leave to go where? Leave to do what?

Contemplating was never an option
The destination was already chosen
Thirty days to move out, the steps were already alined
Wore God as my glasses on my journey, so never was I blind
Smooth transition, smooth transformation
One state over to the west is now my new location
I like my new city, I like my new place, everyday I wear a smile
Stay? ...Yeah, I guess it seems I'll be here for awhile