Unfenced

Surrounded on all four corners.
Daylight peaks from in between the temptations
It opens and closes, breathing through the small spaces – daring me to escape.
Glimmering eyes meet me in various states – some amused; some angry.
What appears as a game to them exists realistically as a fight for my life.
A battle for which I’m terribly outnumbered.
Their bodies sway accordingly when my legs shift from one side to the other –
My mirror image is my own guardian and assailant.
So far, attempts to identify small dents in their armor have failed.
Bruised, exhausted, and running out of life – I resign to defeat and lay on the ground.
The grass is still cold and wet and stings my wounds – subtly reminding me that I still exist.
My body begins to succumb - I only want to close my eyes and close off this sensation.
Pain and reality keep me alive.
One by one, I hear their footsteps converge upon my still breathing body.
Their new proximity, kneeled all around me, heightens my other senses.
I, their sacrificial lamb, blindly await their decision.
The ground opens up and swallows me whole.
I’m drifting and finally, nothing else remains.

by Michael Weems