Circles: A Poem

TaJuan is an aspiring writer hoping to gain experience and growth through publishing passionate works, like this one, online for the world.

Runners,

On your mark,

Get set,

Go!

Your feet

Slam

Against the track,

And you became lightning,

Speeding through your competition

With ease.

It’s the same old story

Read over, and over,

And over, and over,

And over again:

The millisecond the gun is shot,

You secure the first-place spot,

And hold it like a newborn.

You run a total of 3200 meters,

Which equates to eight laps around the track.

Too many,

You think to yourself,

But what you think doesn’t matter

Because your coach decided that

This is your race,

Nothing else.

You desired to do the 800 meters,

Though you’re not as good,

But with some training,

You think you could run with the

Best of them.

Unfortunately,

You’re stuck performing the same old dance.

You hear the usual crowd,

Chanting your name,

And only yours.

They’ve come to see you,

Better give them a show.

You see your lover amongst the gallery,

Cheering your name the loudest,

As she always does,

Wearing your hoodie,

As she always does,

With her hair up in a ponytail,

As it always is,

Never changing,

Nothing ever does in your life.

It’s like ordering the same food,

At the same restaurant,

On the same Tuesday night,

And it’s never cooked

The way you want it,

But you never complain,

Do you?

You just drive home in the same car

You’ve had for years,

To sleep in the same old mattress

Just to watch the same old show,

Hoping it will be better the next week,

Knowing that it never will.

But right now,

You’re running,

Which is something you never wanted to do.

It was a choice made by your father.

Though you wanted to play football,

You were talented enough in running to get a scholarship

to a school you don’t even want to go to,

But money talks,

And so do you,

But money talks louder,

And when you talk,

Everyone is deaf.

So, you keep running.

Just running in circles.

You just run in circles.

Left foot, right foot,

Left foot, right foot,

Going nowhere,

But wearing yourself out

All the same.

Keep running in circles

Come on,

Don’t you like your life?

Keep running in circles.

Aren’t you grateful for your

Fans?

Keep running in circles.

Your lover?

Keep running in circles.

Your scholarship?

Keep running in circles.

Aren’t you…

Happy?

Eventually, you reach the final stretch,

No one is near you,

And it will chalk up as another win

For you.

You’re right at the finish line,

But,

For a reason that only you can

Understand,

Instead of crossing that finish line,

You jump the fence,

And run off,

Disqualifying yourself from the race.

The audience goes silent,

Motionless.

Your coach is a tea kettle,

Fuming with anger,

But you don’t care.

You’re off on an adventure with no destination

Except

Happiness.

You were tired of running in circles.