David
We grew up side-by-side,
David and I.
We were close,
In years.
David was one year,
Three months
And two days my elder.
It seemed like more.
Never once did
he sprint
Ahead, as I think
He ought to have.
He took the time
To wait for
me. Breathless,
I would strive to keep up.
He urged me on.
One weekend
in January,
Just before David beat me
To eighteen,
I started to catch up.
The sprint is
over now
And things have slowed down.
Often I stop going
And look back,
But I cannot see David.
I hear him, very far away,
Urging me on.
by Adrian
Hoad-Reddick