I run
I dive into motion
rough mountains rising before me
and the sun sinking
in its inevitable journey
I chase the wind
a dream
a hope of the future
Never accepting
weakness
defeat
A monster pursues me
chases my every step
walk or run
it is there
under the bed
’round the corner
breathing down my neck
dogging me
as I push it back
knock it down
fight it with everything
I can outrun it
outpace it
outsmart it
Monsters are mundane
predictable
But this?
This beast is something
otherworldly
waiting for me
biding its time
for a moment
a stumble
and I cannot rest
my guard can never drop
lest the monster overtake me

and I know
a day will come
when I tire of the chase
when the fire of the fight
is banked down within me
and the monster will be there
still waiting
for its moment of victory

and I will succumb

But not today
No, not today ~ Caroline A. Slee