The Three Year Old Runaway



One day when I was barely 3
I felt an urge to explore
The world was so brand new
So I strolled right out the door

My family were all asleep
No one knew I was gone
I was carefree and curious
I could do nothing wrong

Donned with diaper and gown
I proceeded down the street
Toting a box of cereal
For a snack later to eat

I found it most difficult
The box was bigger than me
If I was trying to be discreet
I failed miserably

The neighbors had never seen me
I was too young to play in the front
I was on an uncharted sidewalk
Though it felt more like a hunt

As I was making my journey
I caught a woman’s eye
I knew only a few words
She smiled and said hi

Who are you little one
Someone is missing you
You must be hungry and tired
What happened to your shoes

The woman took my hand
She was quite concerned
Come on sweetie, let’s go inside
And see what we can learn

After a while the police were called
So off to the station I went
I was the talk of the precinct
A life changing event

It was fun at first
The officers’ so kind and caring
They were all quite intrigued
That a baby could be so daring

I felt the pangs of hunger
But the box, I could not open
Finally an officer understood
That's what I was hoping

I dug my hand into the box
I was just about to feast
When all of sudden my mom walked in
Worried, to say the least

Out of nowhere I let out a scream
Putting my mom in a bad light
So loud and unexpected
Giving everyone a fright

I said goodbye to my new friends
As they showered me with kisses
I remember their smiles and waving hands
Saying, be a good little misses

I can still remember the scene
How it unfolded on that day
Ending up with a police record
As a 3 year old run away

About this poem

This is a true story about me when I was 3 years old.

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Written on August 17, 2020

Submitted by p_batteate on August 01, 2021

Modified on March 13, 2023

1:45 min read
110

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCB XXXX XDXD XADA AEXE AFXF GCXX XXXX XHXH XIXI XGXI XJXJ XKXK XLXL XMXM
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,631
Words 350
Stanzas 15
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Discuss the poem "The Three Year Old Runaway" with the community...

2 Comments
  • elisa.l.m
    I really enjoyed reading it as it took me back to my own childhood. Keep writing!
    LikeReply2 years ago
  • UJ
    I like it. It's the kind of poems that I like to write and when they tell a good story {especially a true story} I like it even better.
    LikeReply2 years ago

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"The Three Year Old Runaway" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/106223/the-three-year-old-runaway>.

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