Too Long/Be Strong

I hopped the hurdles
Ran the length of the track
Heaved through that last lap
My body is drained
The race I've run
Feels lost.

Where is my pride in the effort
And the glory of the race complete?
Where hangs the medal,
Laced and shined, ready for my neck
To be its momentary resting-place?
Life is not about medals;
Life is about endurance.

So I've run my race
And hurt my joints,
And my feet sing
Songs of agony and accusation
But I ran
And I finished
And despair did not stop me.
Life is never about medals;
Life is ever about enduring and prevailing.
I've won
Another chance to race
Another day.