Perhaps the Greatest of Differences

I watch her with binoculars. She's cut
Her way through both the fences we have
On the border here, and, now, she's wading
Through the snow, escaping. I'm supposed
To stop her, not an easy shot from here,
But one I'm sure that I could make.
I don't. I know they'll ask me why,
And I'll say what they want to hear.
I shot and missed. I tried two times,
But, really, I don't see the point.
She goes because she wants to go.
I never will because I don't.
This is where I've always lived. It's
Where my family's always lived.
I grew up among the people who
I see each day on sidewalks, and in
Offices and stores. My home is here.
It has to be, and, though I chafe,
Sometimes, at how the past so
Overwhelms the present and the future,
I can't understand how she would
Run from it. What will she do if
She succeeds, and finds herself
Somewhere she's never been, with
Those she doesn't know? How lonely
Is a life like that? It's not the kind
That I could face. I watch her with
Binoculars. She has my sympathies.



Poetry by Lawrence Beck The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 159 times
Written on 2019-03-03 at 01:43

dott Save as a bookmark (requires login)
dott Write a comment (requires login)
dott Send as email (requires login)
dott Print text