Thoughts of my daughter

The beauty of the morning was dampened only slightly by the soreness in my legs; yesterdays long run became this mornings stiffness. As the miles disappeared behind me and blood carried away the bad stuff and brought in the spinach and tomato pizza I ate last night, my legs loosened up and I enjoyed the end of the run.

I thought about many things as I ran, but mostly about my daughter and son. I thought of a poem about my daughter; it's kind of based on a day when she was four. She's in Washington and I'm in Georgia, and there's enough time and distance between us now that we're not as familiar as we once were...I miss her.

What began as a dream quickly encompassed everything. Then, like swirled moments of time overlaid, one becoming lost in another, it was gone.
She carried an apple along a dusty path.
Shaded patches of grass held her in soft contrast.
A warm wind ruffled the long folds of her pale blue dress.
Soft curls of blond hair framed a peaceful and natural beauty that glistened slightly in the late fall warmth.
Small brown freckles covered her tiny nose and thinned as they spread high across her cheeks.
Her lips parted slightly in a reflective smile as she moved easily down the path and disappeared around a bend.
The air hung heavily; a branch moved slowly with the passing of a lone bird.
Suddenly the path was only dirt, the air hot and humid and the world felt empty.