The Chase
And I keep chasing after it,
The pursuit has become an obsession.
Because I know in my bones
I'm closer than I've ever been.
I've been hunting for 100 years now.
Or so it seems.
I'm not the only one after it,
Everyone I know is on the same quest.
But it's okay,
Because the prize I seek
Cannot be claimed by him, or her, or you.
It is mine alone.
It is mine to seize and conquer.
If only I can find it.
This reward I seek is a slippery one,
I once managed to get a handful,
Only to have its elusive form shift,
And slip from my desperate grasp.
Another time I was certain
That it was mine.
My triumphant cry was cut short
By the traitorous bastard who
Made false promises.
He offered the reward I sought,
Without telling me the price was
My freedom.
And the reward he handed me was a fake.
As if I wouldn't notice a counterfeit.
And so the chase continues,
I run alongside strangers and friends,
All of us on the hunt.
There are stragglers,
Their journey has worn them down.
Some have given up,
Laying down, forfeiting any hope they had.
Some have been driven mad,
There are unkempt men with rough edges,
And feral women dancing with the moon.
I feel sorry for them.
Until the uneasy thought hits -
Maybe they found their prizes,
The reward is what lit the spark
And causes the fire in their wild eyes.
No matter, I forge ahead,
Looking back is not an option.
I will run, I will seek, I will chase.
My elusive prey will surrender soon.
I'm right on the edge
Of everything I ever wanted.
Just out of reach,
Just beyond my line of vision,
Just there.
My happily ever after just waiting
For me to reach out and take it.
My happily ever after -
In the arms of a man who accepts me,
Holding the hand of a child I birthed.
Blanketed in the security of their love.
Love forged in fire, made stronger
By the trials faced along the way.
This is the prize I seek,
This is only reward worth dying for.
Wile E Coyote
Elusive man, dangle your wares
slide down your slippery slope
ambiguous words promise nothing
as I try to grasp your illusory shadow
subtle trickery blinds my perception
transitory phantom two steps ahead
skipping on deceptive fleeing feet
you stonewall your sneaky pledges
to remain faithful forever to me
misleading me as you dance carefree
throwing kisses as you bound out the door
doing the two step – one forward, one back
the rhythm of no return on wild dog feet
Wile E coyote streaking off in the distance
no further use for bloody stripped prey.