My Writing

When I Ran

Rachel Sandell

When I ran,

you thought

I was never

coming back.

 

After all,

how could I

look upon this

house again?

 

It’s old and stained,

the pillars creak,

the staircase wobbles,

and the clock ticks backward.

 

When I ran,

you thought

you would see me again

in the forest,

 

surrounded by green

and blue

and yellow, in the morning

before the grey mist falls.

 

The trees stretch tall

enough to climb, and if

we stand on tiptoes,

we might see everything.

 

When I ran,

I said

that I would

stay away.

 

I would climb

the tallest oak

and jump

from branch to branch,

 

I would fly

over thick concrete walls

and land on all fours

like a cat.

 

But I knew

when I ran

that I would 

run back,

 

back here, to our

crumbling house;

here, where grey mist hangs

and trees only grow if we beg;

 

I’ve never flown before.

I land on my knees,

not my feet, 

but most of all,

 

You are here.

I am here.

We are here;

so,

 

of course, I came running back.

 

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Published by Rachel Sandell

Rachel Sandell is a writer and editor from Washington State, where rainy days necessitate long books, hot chocolate, and plenty of magic. Though she specializes in speculative fiction and harbors a love for the dark and enchanting, she also dabbles in poetry and is the archive project coordinator for Fireweed: Poetry of Oregon. She is an MFA graduate from the Rainier Writing Workshop, and her short stories have appeared in SORTES magazine, Night Picnic Press, and Leading Edge magazine.