Daily Prompt

Every Exhausting Mile

PheidippidesPhoto: Courtesy of www.awesomestories.com

 

A collective buzzing of like-minded souls

Thoroughbreds on a mission began centuries ago

From the battlefields of Marathon to Athens, Greece

An Athenian ritual

Played out in the streets

The thrill of flight

Unison of a thousand feet

Strangers sharing tribulations

Cheered on by crowds proclaiming support

To modern day Pheidippides

Testing body, mind, and soul to the limit

Bittersweet pain for all to see

 Every grueling mile to the finish line

What punishment, what excitement, what reward

Only twenty-six miles away

To declare their victory

As Pheidippides had on dying feet

Victory, a metal bestowed

For every pain, every tear, every doubt

Every exhausting mile

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14 thoughts on “Every Exhausting Mile”

      1. I just always chuckle when I hear someone who has completed a marathon correcting someone who says, “26” miles, knowing how the last two tenths feel as long as the previous 26.

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Yes. I had read about the story as a kid but I had kind of forgotten it. Your poem served as a reminder. Tributes to the brave soul. And do not mention, good work should always be appreciated. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

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