The lower half of my body hurts,
So does the skin around my under arms.
Next time I won't wear a sleeveless shirt.
What also hurts is the realization,
"Whether people see your hard work or not,
You need to support yourself,
In your work,
And in this race."
I repeated that with deep concentration.
I'm running to 100 something street.
Out of nowhere I see a familiar face.
She looks at me, "Spiky?!"
To see her here I would have thought unlikely.
An old high school friend.
My face lights up brightly!
I run over to her and say, "Hi."
Her mouth runs a mile a minute!
"Do you need anything?
"Water? Salt? A Big Gulp?"
"Thanks, but I'm good."
We wave goodbye.
I release a happy sigh.
"Thanks again,"
I said looking up to the sky.
At 100 and something
I hear my name again,"Spiky!"
My dad and bro are packed in the crowd tightly.
They wish me good luck and they'll see me later.
With the strength I have left I keep going.
I enter Central Park. My energy becomes greater.
I made two promises.
One to God to finish the race,
One to myself that I will finish strong.
I know the finish line is coming.
My heart is drumming.
"No, not yet.
Not just yet."
Red and Petals are nowhere to be seen.
People on the sidelines scream.
Flags from around the world appear.
I beam.
"Now!"
I build up to a sprint.
I pass the runners in front of me.
People in the stands pass to the left side of me.
The sun is gone,
The bright light of the finish line
Might make me go blind.
All I think is, "Body,
Whatever you have to say right now,
I DON'T CARE!"
I do what I was taught and run past the finish line.
Now that I am here it's okay if I die.
I kept both of my promises.
And my right foot feels great.
Note:
I have some sad news for you, I'll be taking a break from To be a Straw Hat for a while. It might be a few months or so. When I hear some good news I'll get back to posting. I hope Spiky has helped you in some way. Maybe she has encouraged you to keep moving forward or brought a fire to your inspiration. Until next time!
YOU ARE READING
To be a Straw Hat
PoetryA young woman graduated from college and has no idea what to do with the rest of her life. No one will hire a nobody with no experience and a lot of time on their hands. Spiky (her nickname), tries to find her way in life while many odds are stacked...
