Leaving dust behind

Originally typed on September 17, 2009.

This was an assignment for the creative writing class I took in high school. I found poetry to be a difficult thing to familiarize myself with, especially since every poem I wrote always had elements of prose. Poetry, however, was a more loose and imaginative writing style that challenged my abilities and ,every so often, produced respectable results. The class was easily one of the greatest I ever took at Harvard Westlake, and I am eternally grateful to Adam Howard for teaching it. Thorughout the summer, I will post some of the assignments of the class including some constructive exercises. This poem was designed to be written in the style of a poem we read in class. When I remember what the poem was, I will mention it.

You run because you have to. Cities
And countries become confusing blurs, thrilling
Events in history become calendar markings,
Anniversaries of the great adventure.

You jump because you need to. Every canyon
Is just a one inch step and back;
Blown-up machines and a broken bone
Are both kinds of luck.

You run due to adrenaline, curiosity,
A sense of wonder. Much like an infinite path
You will keep traveling until the impossible end,

You will never realize how much the sea reflects
Upon you, in its color and its grace, as its waters
Recede back into its rightful place.