Monday, June 24, 2013

POEM - R is for Running; C is for Coronary

I didn’t run today
And I can tell the difference
When I say run
Don’t get the wrong idea
Don’t picture a version of me
Bone skinny
Huffing along
With the gait of a gazelle
Gliding along
Lightly touching the earth
Letting the miles fall behind me

I say run in quotations
It means I am leaving the house
Early in the morning
Before work
By myself
With running shoes on

I do jog in a running position
For about the first 50 yards
Adding a foot or two each day
Visualizing further distances
In the distracted moments
Then I walk briskly
Without stopping
Down the dirt road
Followed by a caravan of dogs

If you saw me you’d wonder
Maybe even feel bad
I think sometimes I am watched
As I pass a neighbor
Them with toast in hand
Checking the weather out the window
Catch site of me
Plodding along
Red faced
Breathing hard
And their gaze lingers
It is their good Samaritan moment
Because if I suddenly grasp my left arm
Fall to the ground
Convulsing and writhing in pain
They can start of their day as a hero
Run to my side
Dial 911
Give expert, clear directions

But I’m not doing as bad as I look
I don’t push it that hard
My face may be red
But I wear a serene look 
This is my time I think
Or it is a time I try to
Watching the grass grow
As the first birds of morning
Land in their assigned spots

On the crisscross of power lines


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