little droplets of sweat
d
  r
    i
     p
      p
       i
        n
         g
out her pores

milliliter
                       by
                                        milliliter

wishing the words could drip out of her that way
phrase
             by
                    phrase
but instead she runs
runs away from the crashing waves
the pressure of the earth's layers
trying to squish her into a metamorphic rock

she r   u        n              s
to make the sweat, form the muscles, feel the pain
when she can't make anything else
and can't feel everything else

she
r   u       n            s
because the doctors say it will make her happy

and the truth is
millions of milliliters later
it does.