Whatever it was
I used to be running from
sentenced to and for what…
I forgot
what I am now running to –
at a slower, more mindful pace
I may get to ‘to’ or I may not
I don’t know
youth was escaping
on the run from, to…sprinting
middle age finds me
looking over my shoulder less
I have slowed down
life is now a more leisurely
5K-type pace, not a race,
…but for a cure or a cause?
I am I, Don Quixote
slow and steady wins the race
but there is less competition
no pressing urge to best others
I still want to win
keep the pace with the race
enjoy the scenery make the case
that the joy is in the journey
in the best shape of my life
others now try to keep up with…
me? I am the lead dog in the pack
setting the pace, tone, tempo
I smile, and don’t look back
– Mark Lucker
Ponderable polemics, poetic 