A Fugitive

To write a poem
just to forestall the pain in feet or back
or to kill the time is fine

The fugitive will take an opportunity
where an invitation
would be suspicious

What persists
is a glad amazement
that we can say these things and still live
that we are not children in a brilliant prison
that the edge is near
that each step expands the beachhead
rather than exhausting a frontier

I will stay
at this uneven wheel
I promise
I will not flee into wisdom

Colin Dodds is a writer. His work has appeared in more than 250 publications, been anthologized, nominated, and shortlisted for numerous prizes, and praised by luminaries including Norman Mailer and David Berman. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and daughter. See more of his work at thecolindodds.com.