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A running poem for Silas

Our 4 year old likes to run back and forth across the living room while he is thinking or daydreaming. Back and forth, back and forth. He's done it for years. Usually while he runs he is sucking his thumb with his other hand clutching his beloved stuffed Fox. Sometimes while he is running I ask him what he is thinking about. It is pretty hard to get his attention because he is so deep in thought. Last time he told me he was thinking about "building a solar panel at cousins' house". He recently learned about solar panels when we visited the North Pole Branch Library and saw a solar panel they have there in the parking lot. And cousins' house is one of his favorite places. Seems like a nice daydream. Sometimes I wonder if he will grow up to be a distance runner, he's done so many laps in our living room.

I had to smile when I read this poem in a children's poetry book borrowed from my mom. It immediately made me think of Silas. I read it to him and told him it must be his poem.

Running Song by Marci Ridlon

I am running,

running, running.

I am running

just for fun.

Through the grass

and through the gravel

running faster

see me travel

past the people

staring, staring.

They are thinking

something's wrong.

I'm not looking.

I'm not caring.

I'm just running

hard and long.

Now my feet are

pounding pavement.

Now my heart is

pounding, too.

I can feel the sidewalk searing

through the bottom of my shoe.

How the wind is

whipping past me.

How the trees are

whizzing by.

Rushing rivers

run forever.

Maybe I can

if I try.