my heart is a marathon runner

my heart is a marathon runner
he's the first one on the lineup
and has a tendency to jump the gun.
he takes after me, wherein he has no sense of direction
but he does his best to listen to my mind coaching him from the sidelines
yelling, telling him he's off on the wrong leg
the stopwatch clicks
the gun fires
and he runs
and he runs fast
he may not be in first when the race starts out, but by the middle he has each competitor wading through a cloud of dust
he's convinced this is the race he will win
this is the lap that will get him to you
this is the stride that will reach your embrace
and then he falls.
and boy,
when you're running with all you've got
and you fall,
your heart gets hurt
i see him on the track
stunned and disoriented
in absolute shock
he eventually realizes where he is and tries to stand and run again
but he falters
he's bleeding and bruised
and everyone else ran ahead
friends i know will take him in,
bandage his wounds and teach him how to grow strong once more.
but dear, my heart is a marathon runner
and he's bound to fall again.

-JQP