Why So Athletic?

Ready, steady, go, waiting for the sound of gun,

I pump myself up, getting primed for the run.

The distance is short- I've got to give all it takes,

Its a sprint that I must win, as its a game of high stakes.

As I take my mark, breathe deep, get ready to roll, 

I calm myself down, settle for a leisurely stroll, 

The distance is large- I've got to conserve for the long haul,

Its a marathon that I must finish, winning is an order tall.   

Ready, ready, ready, I've to keep changing tracks,

Swim, cycle, run, test my abilities to max,

The course is bumpy- I've got to learn all the tricks,

Its a triathlon that I must endure, as all check-boxes it ticks. 

 

Sometimes to prove to others, sometimes to myself,

I end up running in circles- hoarding trophies for the shelf.

A Fading Symphony

Wishing you annually on your birthday, that ritual is now passe,  

Penning a few lines, for you, here and then, about that I cannot say. 

What used to stab, and wound and throb, now runs on an even keel, 

The background hum of pain has died, behold the man of steel.

The yearly exchanges of wishes and notes, my tenuous link with thee, 

Is finally brought to halt this year, I've set myself free.

I no longer need to scheme or brood, on what you'll say to me,

I'm a master storyteller now, you'll be what I'll like to be. 

 

Its difficult for me, to be constrained, by the sobering reality,

-That my love may be, unrequited, sterile- Oh! spare me the pity.  

And that's why I close my eyes to you, now you are no longer piercing or true, 

They may call me names, or delusional, but over the cuckoo's nest I safely flew. 

The more I try to catch your shadow, the more it increases my parting pain,

The moment my fancy reshapes you as a ghost, I'm back in control and at peace again.