Morning Walk

 I have a plan. 

We're going on a tour this fall, and there will be walking. 

A LOT of walking, by my usual couch-potato-rooted-to-the-sofa standards. 

And so, to prepare, I'm going to walk all summer, each day. 

Inside, outside, rain or shine, 

up stairs, down stairs, maybe even (horrors!) at a gym. 

I refuse to be one of those laggard geezers, 

hobbling along behind the group, 

breathing hard, and dropping, exhausted, 

at every pause in the tour. 

I am better than that. Or so I say.

And so, this morning, with a hint of cloud in the sky, 

I get up before sunrise and walk to the river. 

A single bright line on the horizon promised morning, 

and, for a few minutes, 

the bicyclist paused, 

the runners stopped, 

the ducks on the water turned eastward, 

and even the trees rustled their appreciation.

Creation paused momentarily with me

to watch the daily miracle: 

sunrise.