Feeling the Burn - Oct 28 2022

 

Feeling the Burn

Oct 28 2022

I used to be a runner.

Not someone who does, but is.

Was once many things

now fewer.

Which is just how it goes

as you go on living,

the process of loss

one after the other

you sometimes don't even notice.

So how elated I felt

when I gave chase

and found I could.

Notwithstanding

inappropriate shoes

and hot constricting pants.

Actually, more jog than run.

Speed walk, if you will.

Nevertheless, huffing and puffing

and feeling the burn.

So like the bad singer

who soldiers on undaunted,

who mostly talks the words

in the wrong key

in his 3 approximate notes;

the high one and the low,

the sideways slide

he finds close enough.

I never could sing,

so for me

good as ever.

Nor at my best

could I keep up with the dog,

so quick walk or not

pleased with myself.

Pleased

with the sensation of speed

and the healthy sheen of sweat;

the feeling of being embodied,

and that good kind of pain

the runner in me remembers.