“So I Run”

I am a human being, but more-so a runner.

It’s all I’ve ever known.

This task is a bear, that friend is a wolf,

And they will surely attack, when I turn my back.

So I run before they see me,

It feels dangerous to stay.

The world is out to get me,

And its greatest weapon is my trust.

So I run before they have convinced me,

Before they make me think I’m safe,

But there are more animals throughout this forest,

And the danger of all keeps me awake.

So I run in new directions,

Find patches of new land,

But I’m still trapped because I know,

My supply of land will end.

There is only so far I can move,

I will never get away,

As the heaviness of my armor,

Turns my world to ever-gray.

I’m a highly intelligent creature, predator even,

Seldom close to being prey.

As prey I feel and prey I act,

When my life is bound to running away.

Can I “stop and smell the roses?”

Who’s seen roses in a forest?

But then who has seen its beasts?

I’m surrounded by small squirrels,

Whose shadows frighten me to tears.

I can be nice and I can play,

Or be wildly running life away.

A choice that sounds so easily made,

To me it seems insane.

Running is my life’s work,

My oxygen, my game,

But behind closed doors,

In fleeting moments,

A quiet thought passes.

What if, 

I simply,

stayed?