The Spirit of a Hug (A Nuanced Acrostic)

A treadmill gives no hugs when I am done

An hour workout consisting of a run.

Repeated many times while I’m away

Alone for work a week and sev’ral days.

A time without even a brief embrace

Celebrating togetherness in space

And thought and sound and sight and smell and feel

Is something that I wish was not for real.

To hold a friend for even just a blink

Yields understanding not needing to think

A generosity that’s quite intense

A spirit shared—not needing to make sense.

The spirit of a hug just needs to be

A chance for two to join in harmony

Of saying, “I am present for you here.

I share the vision that you hold so dear.

In life, to have peace and serenity

With help from those who stick around with me.”

Love Driven Presence

Pacing our run along the promenade—  

For years our strides synchronize perfectly.

Slowing then speeding for each pier’s sharp turns

Passing over bricks, wood, and cobblestone.

Many times we chatter the whole journey

About running, careers, kids, and marriage.

Topics over coffee or wine for some,

These are the base of our running banter.

But ev’ry now and again we just run,

Quietly going for miles out, then back.

Only footsteps and seagulls break silence,

While pre-dawn company brings us comfort.

I doubt we will ever run out of words,

But love driven presence is all we need.

Many Runners on the Promenade

Many runners on the promenade.

      It seemed like everyone was out on Saturday

            in light of what was forecast for Sunday.

      Alone or in groups and sometimes with dogs.

      Many different routes were chosen.

      Particularly bumping out in different places

            as we passed and repassed a social

            group of three.

      One of them very focused on precision,

speaking of very specific distances,

         like having 0.05 miles to go

and covering 3.52 miles.   

Multiple colors in the sky.

      We began in the pre-sunrise dark.

      We encountered a photographer on the edge

         of the inner harbor

         awaiting the perfect shot.

      We talked about seeing the deep pink rising in the sky

         with a patch of peach to the upper right

         amidst the clouds on the horizon as we left

         the inner harbor passing the Rusty Scupper.

      The sky had turned mostly gray with clouds

         by the time we were headed back to finish.

Varying levels of wind.

      For a while I thought there was little.

      But then we faced a moderately stiff wind

         as we ran due north.

      We hit that several times on the way back,

         but it was nowhere near the intensity

         of the two days before

and we just ran through

and I never wished for a wind breaker.

Many points of conversation.

      We touched on many positive topics as we started.

      But when our speed increased the conversation slowed.

Making sense of life.

      Us and the other runners.

      Experiencing variation

         and responding with adaptation

         in ways that apply generally.