The Jaws of Life will never suffice 
when it comes to breaking free.

Locked up, clamped in, terminally well-wedged. 

Perhaps you’ll lose a limb 
or two,
but the loss will surely
pale in comparison to 
the glory of the rebirth. 

Will you be a dog, a llama, or a cow the next time around? 

Short-cuts, easy departures, and 
mass exoduses are strongly discouraged.
Successful egress is a delicate, tenuous process,
requiring tenacity, patience, 
and most of all, a plan. 

Will you be a warrior, a princess, or a nomad
when the day of reckoning commences?

           Step One:        Step away from the narcissist.
           Step Two:        Turn in the opposite direction.
            Step Three:      Run like hell.
            Step Four:       Do not stop running.
            Step Five:        Do not look back.
            Step Six:          Rinse.

Jill Rachel Jacobs is a Pushcart nominated poet whose poems have been featured in The Tower Journal, Varnish Journal, Muddy River Poetry Review Lost Coast Review, Beneath the Rainbow, Ygdrasil: A Journal of The Poetic Arts, The Screech Owl. Ms. Jacobs publishing credits include The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Reuters, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Huffington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Newsday, The Independent.