The Race to Nowhere
On my elliptical
in my basement
surrounded by
recycling boxes
Halloween decorations
beer empties
laundry
I pump away
fighting the middle aged
bulge
I think of my father
at my age now
fatter than me
really starting to
put it on
and I imagine
him there
with his curly perm
and white undershirt
and blue shorts
on his
70's stationary
bike
and we start
to race
dad's legs
flying around
like an eggbeater
in batter
me
looking like
a cross-country
ski maniac
we go hard
dad's face turns red
as he stands up
on the pedals
leaning over
the handlebars
he throws me
a smile
that says
he is winning
I push harder
dripping sweat
legs on fire
his legs are a blur
my heart is beating out of my chest
then BEEP
BEEP
BEEP
BEEP
BEEP
my machine tells me
it's over
I'm done
I burned my 800 calories
dad sits back down
and puts his arms up
in victory
my legs slow
to a stop
dad laughs
and fades
away
and I think
maybe I'll live
a little longer
than he did.
