after pavement

i want to use my body
for what it was meant for

to sweat
to wear down at the joints

when my bones begin
the transition to dust
i want many tiny
impact fractures
to make the process faster

i prefer overuse
to underuse

i want to stretch
far enough to peer down
into deep chasms
i want to come
close to the edges
lose my balance
and find strength
to steady myself again

i want to be flexible enough
to maintain an embrace
through long dark hours
without tension
numbing my shoulders

i want never to push
too hard or too far
against the joyous love-needs*
of my body

i have been walking
in a dream of solitude
now i run
calmly
toward closeness

*from Neruda. Sweetness, Always