I don’t run because I’m black.
What if you see me jogging
in “your” neighborhood
and take it upon yourself
to hunt me down?
I don’t run because I’m female.
You see my feminine form
you see easy pickings.
I don’t run because I’m brown.
we both see terror for different reasons.
I only run in disguise.
Craving freedom of self expression
self identity
freedom to love
diminished by your one-sided desire for liberty.
I can’t run, at least not unaided.
A survivor of acts of hate.
We all run
egged on by fear
stilled and spurred by intolerance
standing ground or taking flight
another right to choose
marred
by your assertion of choice.
What should be rubber and soles
laces and self
grit and a path
can mean so much more
than just running.
Caia Rose 