The r-r-roar of the engines
Fierce at the starting line
Mostly fade as they make the turn
Each posturing for position
Before vanishing onto
The long stretch of roads
Winding beneath the evergreen forest
Where bones are buried and
Ghosts hide in the shadows
Even as infinite sorrow threatens
To swallow everything it touches
Where weaker souls crumple
Under the pressure of
A thousand mountain ranges
Laid upon their backs
The survivors will emerge
From the deepest ocean and
Erupt through the finish singing
Glorious tales of collective victory
When even one returns
Those lost will not be forgotten
For us left behind
We struggle to comprehend
The turmoil that raged within
We look to those who survive
Seeking solace in the burden of
Those who did not return
Written for Shay’s Word Garden #5 (Gregory Corso) and Go Dog Go Cafè’s Tuesday Writing Prompt
Photo credits: Tom Parsons, Matheas Bandoch and Stormseeker via Unsplash.
Copyright 2021 Greg Glazebrook, All Rights Reserved.
Greg's Blog 
Delicate and life-affirming. We need each other more than ever now if we hope to get out of this alive and somewhat sane.
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I couldn’t agree more. 🙂
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I thought you were writing about motor sports but now I guess you meant life itself. Thanks for being part of the word list. 🙂
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It started out in my head as being about perseverance. How those who keep going even as others around them lose interest or give up and fall away end up with the glory. It ended up more about mental illness, the ones we lose along the way and how the rest of us cope. Not sure it works as intended but I enjoyed the challenge.
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You rose to both challenges … stupendously. Bravo, Bravo.
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Thank you.
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Poignant and wonderfully written Greg. Soul stirring and true to the times!
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Thank you.
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