Sidewalks

hey … !

 that’s me at five … !

rushing into the 

light … !

….. 

out the front door 

past neighbors 

watching me 

 through picture 

windows  …

…..

a boy on a journey over 

cracked sidewalks …

up a hill …

to where

i will 

 walk through the

door of

a red brick house at

the end of

the street into 

the

open arms  

of

those two 

who loved me the

most … !

…..

now …

picture me

after boyhood

running

‘round and ‘round  

within the

circular 

confines

of my

competition … !

…..

determined to 

get ahead … !?

…..

it never occurred to me the 

crowd would  

catch up and 

when it

did 

i’d feel like i had

been standing still …

…..

o.k. so

now …

there i am

at

mid-term 

racing down dark alleys

and

muddy fields 

deluding myself into thinking there was  

a special place i could

go

that would be  

ALL MINE …. !

…..

a special place   

that i hoped 

WAS …

but ..

(that i learned) 

NEVER 

was …

…..

now

picture me

past mid-prime

clinging to 

hope that  

 i could still plunge into the 

light  … 

journey past 

neighboring homes over 

cracked 

sidewalks …

 watched  

through 

picture windows 

with

affirmation and  

gentle love  …

to a red brick

house at the top of a

hill where i’d be

welcomed with

open arms …

but …

forlorn, knowing

it could never

be … 

…..

until one day 

when i

watched a

boy

through my

own 

picture window … 

running along cracked sidewalks playing catch with the

… light …  

and realized I’d been walking 

those same

cracked

sidewalks   

all along ….