march 27/REST

Decided it was important to recover after three days of 5+ miles. So, I rested. Came across an article about Alexi Pappas, the elite runner/poet. Here’s what she writes about the connections between poetry and running:

In poetry, “there’s such an economy of words. I love having absolute freedom within boundaries. And in running, similarly, there are limitations. You might have a certain lane you have to stay in or a certain number of laps. But within those boundaries, there’s so much room for creativity and personality.”

Here are two of her poems:

Poem One

When I sprint
my insides
are not all there

they are instead gasping
screeching flapping

baby bird beaks

who beg cry
declare
brave and scared

I seek worms in the form of air

Poem Two

Tree Perfume (source)

I can’t remember where

if I was alone

if there was a we

how fast or how long

how long ago

or anything

actually

I remember

the smell

was a concentration of trees

steeped on me

like tea

I remember wishing

it never falls off me.