Jail

"Jail.
Jail.
You're in jail"
They tell me I'm glued,
...taped,
...stapled,
to the fence,
and yet I feel freer,
than when alone.

When jailed by a preschooler,
it's easily to escape,
to run and be free,
til little hands catch me,
giggling "jail."

If only the prison,
inside my head,
were as easy to escape,
as energizing to run from,
but locked in my mind,
is a vacuum for courage,
a dark tangled web of fears and despair,
holding me captive,
draining my energy,
stealing all motivation,
to take care of myself.

My kids tie hungry tigers,
round the jail they make,
say the tigers guard it,
will eat me if I run.
They let the tigers eat me,
and yet I feel more whole,
than any other time.

My own imaginary tigers,
gnawing at my mind,
eating me alive,
from the inside out,
are far worse a threat,
than any my kids set,
to guard my playground jail.