Sinus headache's
no excuses
Tylenol and water
Suited up
against the cold
laced up loosely
on the wounded toe
zipped up hoodie
time to go
Not too chilly
Little wind
Cloud formations
Promise cotton
candy pink
By the time
I top the hill

Left foot - right arm
Right foot -  left arm
I’ve got rhythm
I’ve got music
Joyful, Joyful
in my mind
playing in
an endless loop
long blocks up
long blocks down
small mountain
in between
to make it
add to
one point
nine-eight miles

Wide cracks
in the blacktop
road
Step across
not on
My mother had
a painful back
almost all
her life
Someone sprayed
black tar
across the gaps
But they got filled
with grit instead
and random
ciggy butts
a sucker stick
from Halloween
and one
blue shiny bead

Left right left right
Left foot - right arm
I take the uphill corner
at speed
and miss a step
Left foot - left arm
the pace is
out of sync
Now the street
goes down hill
Pick up speed
Mustn’t trip
No one’s awake
to help me up

A stretch of
alkali-looking
sidewalk
runs beside me
only on one side
The other side
walks
in the street
I guess

300 elbow lifts
fill 3 dead ended
corners
Time to turn
and climb
the hill
rubble left by
glaciers melting
oh-so-very
long ago

Scarred by
ATV tracks
Steep and crumbly
Caution is my
middle name

Heartbeat up
where it belongs
I stride the
ridge
and wait for
Sunrise
God is
somewhere else
today
No hues if
bubble gum
Dark clouds
stay dark
Til shining gold
behind them
bursts
to mark
another day

I survey
the town
below
and offer up
my thanks
as holy
meditation
then I turn
back down
the hill
for my short
walk to
home.

   ljm