Source
r/OCPoetry•
lenny_from_da_block

Hurdles

My legs are cramping—

lactic acid overpowering my calves

as I attempt to lob myself

over another hurdle.

Pain is progress,

they tell me,

so I keep moving

onto the next,

heaving with each rise and fall,

increasing my tolerance as I go.

​

I trip, stumble,

feel the scrapes in slow motion

as my skin peels back

and the ache sets in.

I don’t cry, I just reflect.

I have never been good at hurdles.

My time on the ground

gives me a chance to look around—

realize that I am all alone.

Look ahead, look back.

Why am I out here?

​

I pick myself up,

slowly trudge up the stadium steps.

They're steep and I’m sore

but it will be worth it—

to find perspective in the stands,

to leave when the sun goes down,

to find a new path

that doesn’t leave me falling

over and over

in an endless ring

of pain and levity.

....

1 2

Posted Jul 19, 2021, 9:06 PM UTC

63
Zestyclose_Jello1508•

We all have our personal struggles, and we both know it helps to write. If you seek it, you’ll find joy.

Great words, well done.

3
asearchforyou•

Maybe the protagonist of this poem has upset the gods. That's why she is pushing this rock up a hill only for it to roll down. That's why she is having her liver pecked at eternally by a golden eagle or a vulture. That's why she is doing hurdles even though she'd prefer to jog a 5k. Is life pain? Where does the levity fit in? What does it mean for those two phenomenon to be forever linked in an endless ring?

3
AutoModeratorMOD•

oh, hi there; didn't see you! you've reached r/OCPoetry; this is a workshop site where you can share, read, and talk about eachother's poetry & etc. to post your own poems, you need to give feedback to 2 other writers. if you aren't trying to share, you're encouraged to give feedback, but aren't required. try to be nice, questioning, and specific. if you can't do that - eat a cabbage and come back later. try to give feedback to a writer without any feedback. lastly, read our feedback guide , other writer's comments, or this author’s feedback links. if you still aren't sure whether your comments are useful ‘feedback’, or you have any other questions, send us a modmail!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1