Pull and slide
Tie and strap
Tighten pads
Fasten cap.
Shade my eyes
Check the road
Stand and rise
Push off slow.
Press the left,
Heave on right,
Crouch, determined
I set my sight
Upon my way,
The way I go.
Avoid the crowd
To favor the flow.
Whir of friction
Beneath my feet,
Slide and cut,
Cross the street.
Taking flight
By twitch of limb,
Wrapped in space
Through air I swim.
Heart quickens.
Brow drips.
Breath thickens.
Flesh rips.
Here I am real,
Not in the past.
Made to feel,
Not made to last.
Dodge and crash
Through mud and rain.
Earn my scars.
Become my pain.
The breeze is warm
But my shell is damp.
Break into the open,
Coast off-ramp.
The world laid before me
Sky lit on fire,
I add my soul
To this heavenly pyre!
The torch is doused
in a sea of stars.
The dark rolls over
Near becomes far.
I slow to rest
But my spirit still flies.
I snatch my heart
And hold it inside.
Remove my gear.
Heap in a pile.
Close my eyes.
Breathe, and smile.
I offer my blood
In a prayer of sweat,
To imbibe my pain.
May the gods repent!