Of Fences Poem by Rev. Rebecca Guile Hudson

He's aware
of the yard he lives in -

aware of the fences
that define
his constant existence

He feels his life
is missing
from the world
outside those fences -

He's very afraid
of what lies beyond them, feels
very safe,
having such a perimeter
contain his life -

and yet,
just
yet,

when roaring lightning
cracks storms into his skies,

all he can think of, all
he's impelled towards,

from the very deep in-side-
out of his soul

is to panic & bolt,
cause himself even bodily harm
just to
find a way
out, find a way
to dig free, to
leave those fences behind -

to run amuck, un-
entrapped, seeking
freedom from fear
in the very places
that he sees as offering
no safety, no
familiarity

Then, when he calms
down,
when he's done
with his run,

the sole object burning
in his primitive mind
is to seek again
the warmth and comfort
of familiarity and safety,
and he
returns to his yard,
settles back down within his fences,
and pretends to himself
that he'll never -
No, he'll never

do that scary thing
ever again and then,
as if to prove it to himself,
to convince himself he
really means it this time

he enters into the house
yarded by those fences
and goes to sleep, goes
unconscious,

and dreams of freedom
inside the walls
of the house
inside the yard,

in the center
of the fences
that circumscribe his world