Only if
the structure utterly collapses
will I run from it,
and then only if escape seems easy
and there is no chance of shoring up
and rebuilding swiftly what has fallen;

or perhaps if the collapse
seems imminent and someone’s
built a similar structure that seems to be
solid and capable of sustaining me
exactly as was done before;

or if running
is a short term solution
and at least enough people run
to make me feel not so alone
and conspicuous as I flee, less a genius
of my own safety than one able
to read the obvious signs;

only if there’s no other place
to hide, no shelter, no promise
of shelter whether based in fact
or ideology, only if
the choice is clearly stated
and fear is stronger than logic;

lastly, if the structure collapses
after having been clearly signed
by a demolition crew
I can side against,
and all other conditions
have been met
then yes,
I’ll run
like a rabbit
or a sheep
or some combination of the two,
furry and fat,
ahead of the harvest
and the shakeout
and the reckoning
and the judgment
and the culling
and the rubble falling
and the long shadow
of the tower
coming down.