Investigating A National Treasure (Poetry)

I chase you down green corridors
I hear your carefree laughter
I stole your coat — it’s not the prize
it’s inner truth I’m after

You have a vaudevillian voice
thrown over your dark shoulder
the g-string on your guitar breaks
I’ll catch you looking older

We’re running in the present tense
the hunt is still ongoing
the tunnels of the heart are long
the trick is never knowing

if you’re a fox in gaberdine
just following cool fashion
or whether time considers you
a treasure for the nation

We play this record-breaking game
your genius elusive
I fail to pin love’s shadow down
mere fame is inconclusive