Renee Watts

People see me run 

towards the sun

but they don't see

what I’m running from.

I chase one high after another,

picking up the pace to outpace the monster

but when dusk comes

They soar the skies, as free can be,

A gentle flap, a wind-carried wing.

Feathers drift through open air,

While oceans shimmer far beneath.

One could only dream to be

So unbound—so endlessly free.

If only I loved a little less hard.

Did not stay up at night,

Worried that I hugged the wrong person

Or smiled at someone who talked badly about me when I left the room.

If only I loved a little less hard.