Forget Everything and Run

Spelling fear, the anthem of the scared
running into bars for quick relief.

Or up the coast, down the coast, or
perhaps deep into failure…

Anything but face the demon, the nightmare,
the truth. We run and we run,
we run so much we make a jagged Earth
smooth, this party’ll do.

Who tells us that at twenty-five, life gets
serious, a choice must be made to
stay alive?

Who tells us that at thirty, private parts
sag and we feel age upon us?

Run forest, run, the truth of gaps and gnats
on big black hikes up cliffs will shift the
weather a click for every foot in elevation hit.

We need to quit. To discard the dance in
favor of the direct stance—

Why not now, in the middle of this one-way
romance, Vanity Kills, or so the singer
said, the 1980’s a time of building for many,
for me for running.

’85 and first drinks sealed my fate. A signpost
read in blood red “go back.”

We can stop or die it’s up to you