Week 414 (June 7-13) Poems Topic: Outrun

[C. J., Cool yet firm like ice]

You have until the 13th of June to post a poem and from the 14th to around the 18th of June, we’ll vote for which one we thought was best!

Please post directly into the topic and not a link. Please don’t use a poem previously used in this group. Only one submission per person is allowed.

Your poem can be of any length!

This week’s topic is: Outrun

Thanks goes to Deepak for suggesting the topic!

The rules are pretty loose. You could write a poem about anything that has to do with the subject/photo but it must relate to the topic somehow.

Most of all have fun!

[Jim]

The End of the World


Stay, she said, her hand hollow and still. A cicada
molt. Maybe there is still somewhere safe, a cave
on high ground, I said. But she was already
kneeling on seething gravel, a scream
etched in salt and tar. Wings of smoke.

-o-

sorry for being away for so long.

[Samantha]

Outrun!

Running.
Always running.
Can’t stop.
Must keep moving.
No rest allowed.
No goal to reach.
Just one more day.
Another corner.
One more flight of stairs.
(Which direction am I headed?)
(How did this start?)
Legs cramping.
Can’t rest.
Just a little further.
One more mile.
And fifty more.
Clouds move.
Breeze doesn’t refreash.
A tripwire.
Falling.
Can’t get up.
He’s behind me.
Can’t move.
He picks me up.
No escape!

[Connie]

*Outrun*

The track appears bright with reflected light, colors overexposed and life a hyper-reality.
Skin tingles with the heat of the sun, clothing heats up and shifts on restless bodies.
Roll the neck, jog in place, stretch.
You can do this.

Pushing fifty, she’s got it down pat.
Open the eyes and lighten the lips; color the hair and lift the face.
It’s not perfect, but it helps; it’s all she has.
She can do this.

Inhale. Exhale.
The roar of the crowd drowns in the rush of blood in your ears.
Sprinting spikes grip the ground and bring you to the starting blocks.
You can do this.

The new employees have fresh faces and fresh ideas.
That’s okay because he’s got experience; he’s got longevity.
And he’s got a new Porsche.
He can do this.

Crouch down on the starting blocks, fingertips kiss the Tartan track.
Set at an angle, coiled like a spring.
Head down, thoughts clear.
You can do this.

Rasp and suction forcibly inflate lungs; machines beep a staccato mockery of life.
Clasped hands fall at the swish of a lab coat.
Misty eyes and shaken heads—the paperwork remains unsigned.
They can do this.

Legs vibrate with the force of anticipation.
Ears finely attuned, waiting for the signal.
Time slows, but you know that it’s coming.
It is inevitable.

BANG.

[Edward]

Title : Outrun
Poet : Edward Davies

You can’t outrun a cheetah
They’re fast upon their feet
They’ll catch you quick, you won’t escape
They’ll make you into meat

You can’t outrun the future
It’s coming up too fast
You have to face it in the end
You can’t live in the past

[Billie Jo]

*Could've Fooled Me*

You tell me I'm important.
That I mean something to you.
You tell me you'd do anything
To show to me it's true.

But why don't I believe you?
Why do your promises fall through?
You say we'll spend time together
But those plans, we never do.

I don't get it; is it a game?
Do you think that this is funny?
Cause right now you got me standing here
Feeling like a dummy.

If you don't want to hang
Don't lie and say you will
Then at the very last minute
All my happiness you kill.

Look, I get it, you're busy.
Sometimes things come up..
But I feel like you never meant to keep the plans
That it's more than just bad luck.

I guess sometimes there's things
That just aren't meant to be.
And at least I see the truth now
Before I'm in too deep to leave.

I can't outrun the memories
I thought I'd never outrun the pain.
Yet standing here somehow, my dear
I don't even feel a thing.

[C. J., Cool yet firm like ice]

Polls and new contest will go up later!