in my head I had a runaway tooth
he ran off to Texas with a masseuse
dumped her for a buxom waitress named Ruth
let lightning strike my bum if this isn’t the truth
I sent an incisor to bring that rascal back
he said I am angry; feel like I am under attack
consumed a huge steak in a café booth
then ran off to Abilene with that waitress, Ruth
I have a big hole where that tooth used to be
I dare not smile, for it is all others can see
That tooth sent me a telegram the other day
Without reading it, I tore it up and threw it away
Our nation’s like a runaway horse,
Galloping wild, no steady course.
Hearts divided, voices raised,
But deep inside, our hope’s not fazed.
Let’s bring it back, back to love,
To friends and family we’re thinking of.
Respect and kindness be our guide,
Together with love, we’ll turn the tide.
It takes us all—a hand to hold,
Community strong, heart and soul.
Listening closely, with open hands,
Building bridges across the lands.
One step, one voice, one caring heart,
Mending wounds, a brand new start.
In kindness, in truth, we find our way,
Healing together, day by day.
Runaway horse, slow your pace,
In love and respect, find your place.
Our nation will heal, with hearts aligned,
In friendship and love, a new day shines.
I was just a runaway,
Running from everyone who might break me,
Even the ones who have stood by my side.
I was running from every social outing,
Because I was afraid of it going awry,
My friends begged me to go out with them,
But I stayed home by myself.
I ran from every hard decision,
I was petrified of making the wrong decision,
Terrified of it hurting those around me,
So I went through it all on my own.
I was running from my own emotions,
I never talked about how I felt,
Even though I was dying inside,
Because I didn’t want people to see me differently.
I was running from my favorite person,
The blonde girl that took me under her angel wings,
Because I was afraid of hurting her,
I was afraid of her hurting me.
I was running from my mom and dad,
Because I was scared of letting them down,
I was running from my best friend,
Because I thought I wasn’t enough for her.
I was nothing more than a runaway,
But there’s one thing I’ve learned,
I couldn’t run from heartbreak,
Without running from happiness.
It is with much regret and remorse,
that I must report a runaway horse.
Seabiscuit has up and left the course.
How can a beast of such renown,
who almost won the triple crown,
evade authorities and not be found?
By hiding on a merry-go-round.
I have 33 reasons
Why I won’t go home.
I am a loyalist
Tortured by iniquity
Captive of antiquity
But the snake inside me
Is unfolding its fibers of cypress
And the water is thicker than blood
I have 33 reasons
Why I wont go home.
The bride ran from the unconsummated ceremony weeping.
The best man had handed her a note; the groom was not coming.
He couldn’t have told her before the guests arrived?
Before she put on her gown and veil?
Before her daddy walked her down the aisle?
A track star, she was faster than anyone else.
She ran until she could run no further.
Her faerie godmother followed her.
What can I do? What can I do?
Transmogrify me, the bride said.
Turn me into something else.
I can never face them again.
The faerie godmother waved her wand.
A gorgeous tree developed out of the bride’s essence.
The faerie godmother waited for further instructions
But a tree cannot talk.
My jeep took over the driving today
Heard his radio sing,”hip hip hooray!”
How this happened I truly cannot say
But he snatched my keys and drove away
the end of day shuts down
the smell of rain
at 5 o'clock
with gusty winds
and withered leaves under my feet
newspapers whirling from empty parking lots
broken plastic bins rolling
a lonely dog in an alley
I wake up in my rented room
with dingy wallpaper
coffee is what I need
I toss my blanket
and lay there thinking
of a thousand awful images
then sitting on the bed
I whisper to myself
I should go home
suddenly my world got dark
and spun out of control
thrust in the eye of the storm
all i could see was you
and how i would find
my way back to your arms
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
Submitted on March 14, 2025 to contest THRUST IN THE CENTRE OF THE STORM, ALL I COULD SEE WAS YOU sponsored by ANOUCHEKA GANGABISSOON - Honorable Mention
Out the window my dream go
Escaped from the clutches of self
Wandering the streets beggarly
A holigan besmeared in slime and guts
Where is my dream? Where is the world I hoped to see myself?
Why is my world gray? Of what hope is me without my dream?
So I wake by dawn.
Armed with my knife and my gun.
Out in search of my dream
In pursuit of wandering hope
I crouch
I crawl
I kneel
I bawl
I wait for time to search for me
I plead with the winds to take me to my dream
I plead to the heavens to see me
10 years old at heart, clutching at his heart.
Alone in the midst of a graduating crowd.
The Best ignored swallowed by the greedy despair
That night, at Midnight, my dream ran
Out the window. Leaped like a monkey
Wandering around the streets beggarly
Unkempt, besmeared in slime and guts
And so I search
High above and down below
For the day I reunite with my dream
But until then, I waste away.
She is all alone on the dirty streets downtown
It’s starting to get cold as the sun is going down
Will she have to spread her wings to make it through the night?
Or sleep with one eye open and be prepared to fight?
She was once somebody’s little girl; she used to laugh, she used to play
Now she’s lost in this great big world, she just had to get away
Will you help her find her way? Please don’t just look away
Seems like it was so long ago, since she was loved and warm
When she felt like she could trust and felt protected from harm
She hides away each evening to a place inside her mind
Life seems to smile on some, for others it’s unkind
Where do dreams go to die when we finally have to let them go
They leave an empty space inside and can make you feel so alone
Make you feel so alone - she feels she’s all alone
You sighed...
... but none heard.
You were angry,
Met only with stares from innocent minds.
... Then you cried
In the mystique of the night,
Muffled sobs escaping to the horizon.
You longed for the company of a muscled arm,
More than sympathy from tale bearers.
You wished for a warm bed on winter’s morn—
... but there was none.
Like the runaway proverbial son,
He abandoned you for another,
Leaving in his wake four likenesses of himself.
she plans her exit
door opens dogs come in cat
runs out and she's gone
A runaway S, hissed on and on,
like the Orient Express.
SSS
Thought keyboard had gone off the rails
or Howard Payne threatened a slow down.
SSSSSS
Grand discovery…kept my cool.
The letter was stuck. It hissed
SSSSSSSS
I backed up. It continued to trek
on open windows, back and forth,
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
weaving in and out. Had to stop!
To run for help would have been
SSSSS
catastrophic…so what to do…what to do
…keep my cool. Put the train in reverse
SSSSSSSSSS
pulled up the key. Apparently
maintenance is needed but
S..backspace..SSSS…backspace
at least my words are not passengers
…not one was lost…the body’s intact.
The snowflakes fall and it is cold,
and the bright Christmas lights flicker;
the beauty outside I behold,
as the snow falls colder, thicker.
Walking I gaze at a window,
the snowflakes fall and it is cold;
I stand at a closed store window,
and I curl up on the threshold.
All I own in the bag I hold,
I fall into a deep, deep sleep;
the snowflakes fall and it is cold,
and visions into my dream creep.
Hands are holding me as we rise,
and I see a land made of gold;
a man smiles beautiful and wise,
the snowflakes fall and it is cold.
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