I wouldn’t have got far,

nowhere at all really,

if you had not come into my life

and shown me a new road in which

to travel, a crossing in which to pause

at and wait for the signal to move back,

and also to understand sometimes

that you have to step back

in which to gain momentum.

I would not have got anywhere

if you had not shown me how to break

using my feet and worn down sole,

I would have still been

cursing the ignition and lack

of spark, had you not given me a push

at the starting line,

and wherever the finish may be,

be it in a hundred yards

or fifty three miles down the road,

I know I took part in this race

and you will be there at the finish

to help wave the flag, not as a crowing winner

but as someone who was able

to take part.

 

Ian D. Hall 2018