6.16 Miles

Memory and reality intertwined today
as I ran down the Lakefront Trail--

one foot in front of the other, slow
and steady, from the heat and humidity
that I passed through, (Summer, it seems,

is here) the miles passing by in a haze
of sunlight and a slight breeze off
of the lake (my only salvation)--

I thought about being a kid, riding
bikes with my grandpa and brother,
the wind throwing back my hair

as we traversed the trail along the
mighy Rock River.  We found
endless adventure, absolute freedom;

the essence of childhood, without a
care in the world.  So infrequently
are we, as adults, able to replicate the

unabashed simplicity and pure happiness
synonymous with being a kid--but when
I'm out there, running on the Lakefront Trail

(or anywhere, really) I am filled with
total and overwhelming joy.  I am right back
there, 20 years passing in an instant:

riding bikes with my grandpa and brother,
free as a bird.