by Lisa Shatzky
She runs because….
every run
knows the moment
to be perfect in its fullness,
rich and delicious
in the here and now
and today is forever.
Because the body is temple
the breath is mantra
and the sound of the heart
her oldest song.
Because every run is
meditation celebration exaltation
and here I am again, she whispers
to the ancestors,
here I am again,
just a child playing in the universe.
Because every run is
prayer blessing thankfulness
for the gift of being here
the privilege of this day
for nothing can be taken
for granted
yet ordinary miracles
are everywhere.
Because running is
the moon weeping when daylight returns,
is the windstirring the grasses,
is the laughter of children,
is the heart coming out of captivity,
is an untethered music
rising up from the deep.
Because running is
the whispered longing
of the mountains,
is the trail craving to be touched,
is the earth sighing in all her
moods and colours,
is the astonishment of seeing
eternity in the eyes
of every living being,
is the spirit wanting to dance
and the mind getting out of its way.
Because running
allows the sorrows and sadness
of life
their time in the sun,
gives them room to move
and breathe
like small broken birds
that can no longer fly
but sometimes are lifted
to touch the sky.
Because running is
the unwritten poem
about to be born,
is the unwavering voice inside
the storm,
is wild and fierce and defiant
against inertia,
is liberation from the mind,
is a freedom fighter for what is oppressed
is the courage to go on and on
when things get tough,
is a little crazy
and a little crazy goes a long, long way.
She runs because
there is a child still calling
through the years,
a child knocking at the door,
I am here to play,
here to love,
here to rejoice,
here to dream,
and running lets the child in,
opens the door
sets the child free.
Lisa Shatzky has four books of poetry published by Black Moss Press. When not running ultras or writing, she works as a psychotherapist on Bowen Island in British Columbia.