Running Free
Running free.
There is no one after me.
I am being all that I can be.
In a world of poverty.
There is little to go around.
I saw something, with a frown.
I crept up without a sound.
People hoarding all they found.
We must share all to survive.
How can we all stay alive?
We are struggling just to thrive.
Hoarding we cannot abide.
Others were told about it all.
It was the hoarders time to fall.
Death became the beckoned call.
Hoarders snuffed out to save us all.
Running free.
There is no one after me.
I thought I was all I could be.
Now, I have doubts. Don’t you see?——-R.W. Johnson—–(2021)
Your poem paints a vivid picture of the struggle between survival and morality in a world of scarcity. The imagery of running free and yet grappling with doubt at the end creates a powerful contrast, highlighting the internal conflict between self-preservation and ethical considerations. The repetition of “Running free” bookends the poem with a sense of freedom that is both literal and figurative, while the final lines hint at the lingering uncertainty even after the immediate threat has passed.
Joyce. that was an excellent review of this poem. at the end of the poem, not only did it display a lingering uncertainty after the threat had passed, but it was also an indication of his doubts about the morality of the solution. Please continue to give feedback on other poems. —–R. W. Johnson.