By Meadow Rie

is there ever a way longing ends?
i don’t think so.
not with the way dogs chase cars down the street,
four-legged, sure-footed,
pounding against the softening tarmac
after those tail lights.

what do you think is it they see? is it
the way the light sears across their eyes,
darting away like water skimmers in ponds?
or is it the shortness of breath in their lungs
idle tendons curving to meet artificial ground
spurred on by the challenge?

either way, they will never stop running,
jaws open, racing across the road.
the dog will always choose this life,
all for the sake of those flashing tail lights,
even if it means death, over and over and over again.

how can they choose otherwise? how could they ever know?
how do you change a dog who lunges for the chase?
they will always find a way,
whether it’s
claw marks on wooden floors, dug up earth at the bottom of your fence in the garden.
could you resist? could you deny yourself the pleasure of running when it is all you were ever meant to do?

–

Meadow Rie is a sixteen year old Korean teenager currently living in Sydney, Australia. While she mainly dabbles in visual arts, she enjoys writing a mix of fanfiction and tidbits of poetry and prose.