Outrun

I fled
only to find myself
in the same spot

my mother escaped.
Can I
put behind
my teenage thrill
of adrenaline and lights?

Here are your bags.
I’ve made my decision.
Maybe you’ll find peace
going your own way.

Or not.
That’s not my concern anymore.

I have work to do 
to find mine.


This poem was inspired by Imaginary Gardens for Real Toads: Flash 55, Sad Songs I chose to base my poem on Fast Car by Tracey Chapman working with the last two lines of it, "You've got to make a decision. Leave tonight or live and die this way."

24 comments:

  1. The change of point of view makes this poem super interesting, Rommy. I love the motif and the ambiguity of those involved (I can't quite tell if it's a conversation between the first speaker and her mother, or the speaker and her own daughter). But the hint at a circle of happenings leaves me thinking about all sorts of things. And I like it!

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    1. Fast Car has a haunting circular quality and I'm glad I managed to convey that with my poem.

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  2. I really love the starting point here... the sense of escaping only to find yourself stuck... yet there is separation that's inevitable... maybe we are all running in circles.

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    1. That's a huge theme in the song. It's especially heartbreaking when you hear the contrast of the hopefulness of the chorus and the weariness of the verses.

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  3. Ahh! Fast Car! I watched a video of Tracy Chapman singing this just a few days ago and it brought tears to my eyes.

    Such a great title to this poem, and that sense of always moving in a circle, back to the beginning. I guess the worth is in the attempt to move on.

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    1. The song always moves me even though I have thankfully never been in any sort of situation resembling this. The worse I can say is my dad loves terrible Spanish puns and my husband loves terrible English ones. :D

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  4. Oh I love that song. Nicely done on your poetic response. :)

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    1. Thanks. It's one of those sad songs that just sticks with me.

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  5. Ugh. I hate it when I recognize my mother in me. I swore that would never happen, LOL!

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    1. LOL, gods that drives me bonkers when I see it in me too!

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    1. By the end of the song, there's a small bit of determination in that the singer is not the one leaving, but telling the other to leave, and I wanted to get that feeling across.

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  7. This fits perfectly with the song. Well done!

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  8. "That’s not my concern anymore." It is hard getting to that point but usually is the right decision.

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    1. I've seen that look in several friends' eyes over the course of my life, and even though it took a lot of pain to get them there, the healing only started once they hit that point.

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  9. Oh yeah, don't wanna die this way. Let's make a break.

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    1. Tracey Chapman's voice is just so perfect for those sad lyrics.

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    1. Thanks! I've often thought it'd be fun to work with Fast Car by Tracey Chapman as a prompt, and it was. :)

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