This poem portrays an intense internal struggle, where a commanding, fear-driven voice relentlessly urges Joshua to run—from safety, love, medicine, memory, and purpose itself. What begins as a warning about external danger slowly reveals itself as an inner antagonist: paranoia, self-sabotage, or an intrusive voice that thrives on control and isolation. The repetition of “run” becomes both a command and a curse, symbolizing exhaustion, loss of agency, and the pressure to escape rather than confront pain. As the voice fractures—shifting between authority, blame, desperation, and dependence—the poem culminates in silence, suggesting collapse, surrender, or a moment of reckoning. Ultimately, the piece explores mental captivity, the cost of fear masquerading as protection, and the tragic intimacy between Joshua and the force that claims to know what’s best for him and its desire to seep away at his time.