credit: jellygator.hubpages.com
Sunday morning sunshine
Air alive with early morning briskness
My feet hit the pavement anxious with anticipation
for the quiet of a long run
My heart is bursting with excitement
as my legs move smoothly over the hills
At last at the crest of “The Killer”
I remove a layer
The heat of my arms basking in the high star
The finish is too soon, I think
Arriving home I hear the voices
of loved ones breaking the fast
We are renewing a childhood tradition
In a different incarnation
Grown-up, sharing the ritual
with the girls they love
We are filled with glee
Refreshed, we hit the road
But not before stopping for that cup of joe
And then the reverie is broken
He appears:
AN INTRUDER
INVADER, INFIDEL
INFECTION, INFESTATION
Our blood was once on his hands
We grapple with this infelicitous situation
My heart races and my hands shake
I move away yet stay put
My protectors keeping him at bay
Polite, they speak in superficial tones
Pretending to be mannered
All the while seething at the reminder
of his emotional destructions
At last they come for me
surrounding me as we depart
We breathe deeply
Freed again
Delighted that the orchard awaits our pickings
Sipping and Singing and Celebrating
Moving onward and forward
Knowing our lives are full and empty of him
Building A Life Of Hope 
Beautiful.
Thank you Colline. A brief roller coaster of emotions was experienced before landing back on solid ground! 🙂
Very powerful Kim
So glad you like it! I love being able to channel my churning emotions into poetry!
Very nicely done Kim! I love the unexpected darkness before the light returned, well done!
Thank you my friend! The poem pretty much sums the emotions from the first half of the day-allowing for a very creative second half! I went to sleep with a peaceful and grateful heart. 🙂
Oh, my. Beautiful. I was in no way prepared for that spike driven into the middle, and it was all the more powerful for it. Just perfectly done, and I really love the phrase “basking in the high star.”
Thank you Jennie. That’s exactly the effect that I wanted to convey. It was an extremely emotionally charged situation that caused a fight/flight response because we were caught off guard. I had a huge runner’s high going on (the sun at the top of that hill filled me with joy) and was excited to be spending time with my family. Then BOOM. Thankfully, we recovered and went on to enjoy the rest of our day. And to add humor to the situation, my oldest played Dwight Yoakam’s version of “Suspicious Minds” after we got back to the car!