Jonathan Merida

Faster

I spent the day running from something unseen—

every still moment dragging on,

unbearably,

into infinity.

 

Directionless, I shot from place to place,

finding only the same unfamiliarity upon arrival.

Each stop felt wrong.

Each silence, louder than the last.

 

It starts simple enough—just an urge to go.

A flicker under the skin.

But as the destinations pile on,

so does the panic.

 

As if I’m being chased.

Faster and faster,

footsteps falling just behind me,

danger brushing the back of my neck.

 

I don’t know what I’m running from—

only that it’s gaining.

And it has no face,

but it knows mine.