National Poetry Month '24: The Great Escape

I was looking for something light and fun today when the news reported the escape of four zebras. Apparently, at the time of the report, three had been caught, but one was still on the loose. All I can picture is this one zebra out there living her best life - even if only for a short time. (Here's the story from the New York Times.)

Photo by Fabrizio Frigeni on Unsplash

The Great Escape 

The grass is always greener 

    on the other side, they say. 

I wanted to find out and 

    my chance it came today. 

With slow and steady movements 

    I began to work the latch. 

When I felt it give a little, 

    a plan began to hatch. 

The doors began to open, 

    so our dazzle we did run, 

to find some greener pastures, 

    and maybe have some fun.  

My friends weren't all that certain

    that my plan was all that wise. 

They started to have cold feet, 

    and gave up on the prize.

But this zebra had a mission, 

    greener pastures were my goal. 

So I made my big escape. 

    This was more than just a stroll.

I broke the posted speed limit, 

    and found a place to hide. 

It's true the grass is greener 

    on the other side. 

© Cathy L. Mere, 2024

For April, I will be taking a deep dive into The Practicing Poet: Writing Beyond the Basics, edited by Diane Lockward. This book is full of 30 craft tips, so it is the perfect way to shape this month's challenge and dig into the craft of poetry. Stop by my Substack page, Merely in Progress, to follow this month's writing journey, where you will also find reflections, links, and inspiration across the challenge. Of course, this month is all about writing poetry, so I will have a new poem posted here each day utilizing a craft tip from the book. Here we go.