Escape

One summer,
When I was six,
I was sent to a day camp.
For me it was
A hellish prison.
Since I didn’t want
To be there,
And wasn’t interested
In playing with
The other children,
I was locked away
In an empty room each day
To bide my time
Until I went home.
All I could do
Was pace the floor
And imagine myself
Being someplace else.
I got pretty good at that.
One day I discovered
A window had been
Inadvertently left unlocked,
And I made my escape.
After I was found
Wandering the forest
That evening,
I was given a ride home
By a friendly policeman.
That fortunately
Was the last I ever saw
Of the camp.
Now that I think about it,
I might even have enjoyed
My time there
If I would have allowed myself to,
But I was too upset
About being sent there
To let that happen.