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