Caught Poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

As a child,
I remember the first time...
Playing hide-and-seek.
Peeking to duck.
That's all I knew to do.
I didn't want to be the one caught.

I thought my hiding places could not be seen.
With a thinking everything I said,
And where I could be would be believed.
I was a child and a child occupied my head.
And I would lie as I hid from others to hide.

But as a child I had no idea,
My attempts to fool and deceive...
Others much older than me already did.
It was as if I had been a plate of unclouded glass.
Hiding.
But everywhere I sought to hide...
Eventually I was caught.

I thought my hiding places could not be seen.
With a thinking everything I said,
And where I could be would be believed.
Until it dawned on me when I got older...
I was no longer a child seeking hiding places sought.
And I grew tired of that as I matured.
Tired I grew...
Of getting caught.