Runner’s Cycle
The first chill breeze hits
my flesh, jumpstarting the Arrector Pili
to goosepimple rollout across my skin
sending signals into the hair follicles
making them stand at attention
the body’s first salute to awake-ed-ness.
Blood and arms pumping
legs following in tiny leaps
the heart and mind motoring
the body woven and connecting to
earth and air.
The cold continues to
elicit reactions,
sets the eyeballs to water;
the nose to rain snot;
the throat to phlegm;
bodily fluids to rush out
of their reservoirs
unclogging pipes
to excrete lymph
and awash the insides
in alive-ed-ness.
Cold air inhaled,
warm air exhaled,
currents mixing causing
a tornado of energy
in the lungs
destroying homeostasis
and whipping toxins
out of the trachea
into ground-ed-ness.
Muscles swelling
expanding and contracting
turning sanguine in color
blossoming bouquets of
rose hues in the epidermis
hardening and heavying
the load being carried
to the finish line in sight,
a final leap, atrophying
in grasping a trophy
of complete-ed-ness.
The finish,
a floating — Runner’s High — the load,
lifting and lightening
feeling free of burden,
cleansed and flying on
those last steps of cool down
into Nirvana-ed-ness.
