i run early

I run
I run early
I wake up at 0-dark-hundred and crawl out of bed
Its cold, foggy, damp and EARLY

Too early for my knees that need at least an extra hour of sleep
Too early for my head that kept me up too late last night playing "one last round" of on-line Scrabble
Too early for my back that never gets enough rest.

One shoe, two shoe, always need some new shoes
Where's my iPod?
Chest strap? GPS? Who said running was cheap?
Snap! What the #!a$ was that?
I'm pretty sure that my body is NOT supposed to make that noise.

Keeping the lights low and the sound down I creep through the house
Shirt from the dryer, water from the fridge, map and music from the desk.

The porch, lawn, and driveway, covered with dew sparkles its greeting and my first smile appears.
Tracks in the grass warn the neighborhood cats to stay inside
Wide furry hunting paws have staked their claim and marked their boundaries and I take note.

My friends say I'm crazy to wake so soon and beat the dawn
But life is crazy

Headphones slips raggedly into place and the violins begin. Mozart. Fiery, inspired, forlorn, always seeking resolutions in a world that offers no easy answers, just more messy questions.