Running by Lake Hollingsworth
I see a cormorant standing on a pier
wings outstretched in the sun's spotlight
like a conductor
about to give the downbeat
for the lake's morning music
I see another bird with an amber glow
This one I don't know
I pass big men
who are walking
and perspiring hard
And I meet old men with knee braces
who are still moving
And young women
who want to avoid heart disease as much as I do
One wearing roller-blades
sits on a bench between two palm trees
keeping her thought processes going
as she looks at the lake
In and out of the shade I go
as gallinules grub
beneath the fresh growth of water lettuce
It's rural and exotic and urban here
like jazz
Looking at the lotus blossoms
I think of the people who got me here
parents, teachers -
quite an association
And I think of young people
who are learning that cheesecake is a city dessert
and also not exactly a cake
And I thank the Spirit behind all of this
Two-thirds through my run
I see the white portico
of the house
that marks
my stopping point
I remember that it is by example
that we learn how not to give up on the important things
