An epic won't release you until there is conclusion
which stories resist (who wants to die?)
there is a brown eyed dog with a hint of yellow
barking about cages and freedom
and we thought, in our modern way,
that bathrooms were simple, available,
and don't forget what the dictionary says
about shame and escape: you made your bed
because that's what you read
success looks like, well-organized perfection
and that might have looked like something
on one of the maps you stared at
deciding where to find ideal next
and the fervent search
had something to do with breathing
and not enough oxygen
at which point, the brain panics,
crashing through false walls
to see that the chest rises
only as high as it does.
Roman Ryan 