Slow Down
Heather Anderson
Our lives dart by in a flash
Like a pebble
Hopping across
A murky stream.
As we wander the trail,
Our limited time
Acts as the relentless mosquito buzz in our ear-
Our most hated, swattable sound
We eye the barren field ahead of us with clenched teeth
Yet we keep running
Right past the blooming lilacs
And the powerful oak
As rain beats down on our heads,
We run right past the outstretched, umbrella arms of the willow trees
No time to rest.
We run until sweat pours down our backs,
Until the trail is near its end,
And then we wish we could run it all again,
To take in the scent of the fresh, dewey purple lilacs,
To climb the oak tree,
And sit under the willow
As we see the short trail ahead of us,
We take a breath and for the first time,
We slow down