I am going to run in the basement
When we get home
I tell her

I instantly feel better
Both because
Of the change in subject
And because I have found
My shield

I grew up
Running
To numb myself
Or was it
To wake myself up
From all the numbing
The forgetting
How I felt
To be what they wanted

Running has never
Just been exercise for me
It is coping
It is freedom
It is my path to access my shine