Run Away

Fight or flight
hardwired in our DNA
survival of the fittest
or the fastest

she was seven years old
at first glance, a little child
but like a pet who learned to run
when the gates were open she had to get away
even though nothing was chasing her

scaling a fence was a simple act
slipping through a small space
between two buildings
taking off along the roadway
hiding under bushes or in the shadows

she would run away
like the gingerbread man

everyone else trailed behind
the experts decided
she was mentally ill

but when I think of her
I wonder if maybe she was the only sane
one in a world of conformists

she must be an adult today
I wonder where she is

in a padded cell
or did she finally get away?