why did you rest rabbit? the race was the only thing they loved about you.

"your overconfidence made the tortoise win"

the rabbit's ears buzzed with their words

and so, it wondered

was it pride that caused him to pause, 

or the weight of running a race he never had the choice to refuse?

was he chasing a breath that had left him long ago? 

like a candle still burning but melting its core.

or maybe something else

but does it really matter anymore?

they carved his name in motion,

but never asked if he wanted to move

so he sprinted, he ran, he never looked back

for they told him who he was, before he even had the chance to ask.

tell me, is it silly to want to rest?

tell me, for he didn't win, will he still belong?

"slow and steady wins the race"

but the tortoise never ran to win

he walked a path that was his alone,

never weighed down by the hunger to be first.

no cheers, no pressure, no one reminding him

that he must win for he was born to.

no finish line that burned if he walked instead,

no story to tell if the rabbit hadn’t bled.

the rabbit, oh,

they hung medals like a leash on his throat,

called it his crown, called it his hope

but the day he rested, they asked why he left them behind,

never cared about what was trapped in his mind.

they told him, he was made for the run,

that to stop was to disappoint.

that to stop was to be forgotten.

so run, rabbit, run

get up, don't rest, run

run away or they'll curse you of being ordinary

run away for stillness is not a part of your story.

run till you bleed, they don't care you're tired 

the moment you stop, you're nothing but expired.

don’t slow down, they only love those who obey.

run till you reach the finish line

and look, it's still a long way. 

but what if the finish line is never the end,

but just the place where they stopped watching?

and if love waits only at the finish line's view,

then tell me, was it ever even true?