I Saw A Child Running

I saw a child running the other day. Running full speed. Loss of breath speed. It was remarkable. He wasn’t carrying any bags or brief cases or bottles, just his own weight, light as laughter, on the gravel turn grass below. He could have flown I thought to myself as I watched, flown right along side the birds, but he never took off, and so he just kept on running. I watched and watched and wanted to run too, run right along side that child and those birds but seeing as I had no place to rush to, no appointments to make or meetings to attend, deadlines to keep, I didn’t—just sat and watched with envy.

The child then jumped a small curb and kept on going away, dodging a tree and finally disappearing in the distance. I looked around and everyone was sitting, sitting and standing and walking. Nobody was running. Just that child, running now somewhere off in the distance. I got up, emptied my pockets and made chase.