Play
Pounding. Pounding. Pounding.
A shrill squeak, Quick go!
Body springs forward
Don’t think now,
do.
Pounding faster, pounding, pounding
Act on the survival instinct-
Do do do,
Run.
Footsteps fall to the ground, harder harder, heavy
It’s silly to chase-
Mind ignores the fact-
Play chase,
Play.
PoundingPoundingPounding
Fast! Run to it! Legs resist
But mind insists.
They all chase-
Hurry! Turn, again!
Run with it
Run away
You have it now
They follow
They chase
They swallow
Hard.
Silence
It’s clear now
Your body controls your head,
It knows what to do.
You’re ahead!
They can’t catch you.
Can they?
Could they?
Fight the fatigue that fills your legs
Fight the pain that gnaws your ankle
Fight for air
Fight for life
Fight for the game.
The game of…
Close. Thud. Too close. Thudthud.
Body movements sharp-quick-sharp-quick again again.
Don’t stop! Move f o r w a r d- move, it’s too close!
The white net
Sharp eyes of the guardian on you. Just you.
The world moves slow.
One last jerk!
And it’s off.
You don’t chase.
-You watch.
Waiting
And the
Pounding. Pounding. Pounding.
Continues.
Swoosh.
Yes?
Pounding, pounding. Pounding away.
They couldn’t catch me.
What about
You.
—-
Stephanie Palmer is a creative writing student at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Author of countless peer reviewed essays, Stephanie enjoys writing fiction and poetry in her free time.
