I know no rivers, no forests, no fields.

I know pavement and concrete

— and how hard fulfillment feels on my feet,

my back, the sun, the heat as temperatures

rise. I know the relentless wind,

drenching rain,

and numbing chill against my skin

when glory subsides.

I know the horizon, the black hills,

the lonesome flats and sunbaked sky.

I know the endlessness of a landscape

as desire dies,

as muscles strain, breasts

bleed, knees knot in pain –

Oh, to run through, draw breath,

Need knowing not, yet

proclaim:

Joy to you —

Success.

****

Categories: History of Running, Poetry, Selection: 2010 - 2015, Uncategorized