Collection of Poetry - 15. Running

Running

You're just a kid

But you know you have to run

From that haunting shadow

But with every step, it looms larger

You run fast; faster than ever before

You feel like you could run anywhere

But you're just a kid

And you can't escape an adult's world

You're bigger now; older, angrier

You run so much faster

Sometimes you escape that shadow

But now there are more hunters

Every turn leads to a bully

Every door reveals an enemy you thought a friend

But you keep running – it's all you can do

But you're still just a teenager. Even you need to rest

The distinction between hunted and hunter blurs

You strike back, even as they chase you like a beast

An eye for an eye; hate for hate

But no matter how deep your hate runs,

The canaille is vast, and hates you equally

Against the great unwashed, your protections falter

You don't run, now, so much as limp

It was you against an army – you lost

Your armor is complete, your wall mighty

Jaded by your past and aged beyond your years

You can finally stop running

The labyrinth of walls keeps you safe

He stole your childhood

They stole your adolescence

But you learnt to fight fire with fire

And if you can't beat them, at least you've escaped

Those walls succeeded in keeping out enemies

But what about your friends?

Where, now, are those who showed you kindness

We are not there, because of those walls

We pounded at the gates until we bled

You don't have to run; nobody is hunting you

For you are alone, trapped behind those walls

With only your daemons for company