(Blind Alley, © Jill Arent, 2008)
Nowhere to Run (An Acrostic)
Never before, never again – or so I said;
trapped like a rat, a mad
thing,
Over-eager to be free to be away to be out.
Why am I here again, stuck in this place,
Heart pounding, adrenaline racing -
Every sense on high alert,
Every sense on high alert,
waiting for the other shoe to drop,
Ready to run to escape to gnaw off my own arm.
Everywhere I look I see a wall.
The exits are not clearly marked,
the aisles are not clear;
Open windows all have bars,
open doors all have locks.
Running is not an option.
Until now I never thought “fight or flight”
was a literal choice;
Now I know better.
© Jill Elizabeth Arent Franclemont
Jill Elizabeth Arent Franclemont, a former corporate attorney and government relations and health policy executive, walked away (well, skipped actually) from the big-city worlds of corporate and political America and headed for a more literary life (equally challenging, but infinitely more enjoyable). Visit Jill at All Things Jill-Elizabeth and leave a comment about her poem below.
