In the quiet of the night

I went out for a short walk.

The air was cold.

I didn’t know what I was supposed to do,

and I had no reason

to do anything at all,

so I just kept walking farther.

The streetlights

couldn’t fight the veil of darkness.

My blurred shadow

was cast onto the alley wall.

Then, a rat caught my attention.

I had no reason to chase it.

Still, I chased it.

The rat ran,

hid,

then ran again.

When I finally caught up to it,

it disappeared.

But why should I care?

After all,

I never had a reason

to chase it in the first place.

My adrenaline was still pounding

from running.

Why did I run

to chase the rat?

I could have just walked.

I stood still,

staring at the trash bin

where I thought

the rat had been hiding.

Was it ever really there?

There was no answer,

only my own breathing,

sounding far too loud.

My legs ached,

and at some point

I forgot

what I was even looking for.

Only then did I realize

I was just trying

to find a reason

to keep walking. 

—Vania C.A (7D)✌️