Human Race Word-a-Mile
Alex and I ran the Human Race Half Marathon today. He suggested that I compose my poem on the trail by contributing a word each mile (plus one at the start and end). Here are the words that summarized each mile for me.
Human Race Word-a-Mile
waiting
sweaty
breezy
seagull
ponds
cottonwoods
10k
steady
slower
M.C. Hammer
farther
boys
blank
almost
done
luxury allowance
luxury allowance
poring over the hotel listings
the way I measured all the Teva straps
years ago:
which will be the most bang
for the buck?
now I’m bound to arrive
sleep-deprived
I’ll fall into dream
barely knowing where I’ve been
and you know all this
and hug me tight anyway –
the best deal I ever landed
darning
darning
suffering: from sub = up, under
plus ferre = to carry, bear,
from bher = to carry, to bear children
This page now holds a weight
I carried long enough –
far longer than
my own sons.
I’m leaving it here.
I’m learning a new lexicon:
ataraxia: (profound tranquility, untroubledness)
from a = not
plus tarassein = to disturb, confuse
katastematic pleasure: (that which accompanies well-being)
from kathistemi = to stand still
I’m standing in a still circle of one
reading about valences
and the anterior cingulate cortex
and affective pain
thinking about dukkha and moksha
and Cassell’s intactness of the person.
I am quietly pulling pieces together
sewing holes closed.
to the trout in the koi pond
to the trout in the koi pond
your rosy-brown length
flows around the lilies
hunting with purpose
so unlike
the lackadaisical golden fish
used to fluttering their ruffles
in this calm pond
(now taking cover
under flat pancake leaves)
my heart jumps
to see you stirring things up
reclaiming this corralled spring
for the unwelcome wild
but the mystery deeper than your origin
is why they want you caught;
why they choose dolled-up koi
over your elegant authentic self
