Night Runner

[threadwalker]

I run to find myself
I run to leave pain behind
I run from what was
I run to what will be
I run because I live
I live because I run
My body sings its own song,
both apart from me and a part of me.
My heart sets the tempo
my breathing is the counterpoint.

I run I sing I run

I feel my feet hit the turf, grabbing the earth.
my calves leap to pull me forward;
my hamstrings contract, hips pulling;
springing forward, my quads thrust out
reaching for the next piece of earth.
My shoulders at ease and arms swing.
All thoughts are arrested and eyes unfocused, distant.
My breathing is the only sound in my ears.
I can keep running this endless pace into the night
All I know is this dance with the earth
A dance of joy and celebration.
I run because I live
I live because I run

I run I dance I run

In the dark, in the night,
the run becomes sprint.
My eyes come into focus.
Adrenaline releases
My heart speeds up
I feel the impact with my toes,
the music changes from joy to hunger,
echoed up the length of my legs to my hips.
My spine heats up, a strand of fire up my back,
resonating with my hunger.
Hips loosen, gait smooth, shoulders easy, I speed up.

I run I hunt I run

I site my prey
I match her pace
She doesn't know I'm behind her,
hungering and laughing inside.
I run silently, mouth open,
breath and feet soft and silent.
She won't hear me coming
I speed up, preparing to overtake.
I will be past her before she knows I am there.
She will despair when she sees me
because by then it is already too late to catch me
and she will be crushed
knowing she is defeated

I sprint I chase I sprint

My heart hammers and my lungs burn
Ten paces behind and my right knee goes numb
Two more and pain shoots up my calf.
Like old friends, faded injuries creep up on me,
echoes of my past clamoring for attention
I draw them in like family
I turn the pain into hunger
to drive myself harder
Victory or nothing

I sprint I hunger I sprint

My tread hits the earth silently
No noises to betray me
My arms pump,
hands flat slicing through the air.
One song, one purpose,
all I see is my goal.
I can taste my victory
I am immortal

I sprint I fly I sprint

I am past and then done.
She has been defeated.
Done, I am spent and stumbling.
Done, lungs burning, heart hammering, legs shaking.
Done, there is nothing left, no second thoughts,
no worry, "Did I push hard enough?"
Done. I am done until I run again
Done. Until I live again
Done. Until I test myself again.
Done. Until I catch myself again

I lived I lived I lived

Comments

[klwilliams.livejournal.com]

Nice.