by Dean Traylor

Created on: October 28, 2009   Last Updated: November 26, 2009

Cardiac Hill
Legs ache
Body stiffens.
The bicycle inches
Up the two mile hill
With every push
And pull I make.
Switching gears
Pushing, pushing, pushing
With every fiber in my body screaming
To stop this torture.
But somewhere
A switch in my head
Is still on.
It keeps me going.
Pushing, pushing, pushing
One foot after one foot
For one inch after one inch
Making the wheels slowly turn.

I pass the quitters
The huddled masses of riders
Who gave in
Walking their bikes
Or waiting
For the sag wagon
To pick them up.

I can't do that.
Despite my body's protest
I keep
Pushing, pushing, pushing
And I keep
Climbing, climbing, climbing
Until
I see the grand California
Black oak
That marks the peak
A hundred yards away
And I muster that last strand
Of strength left
And pump those pedals
with a mad man's frantic
dash of insanity.

And I finally make it!
And my body finally gets
its wish;
I give in.
Bent over,
Catching breath
Easing the pains
And cramps
...a reward for
Pushing, pushing, pushing.

But there
On top
Of Cardiac Hill
I raise my head
And see the view:
A steep grade looming
Above the oak forests
And rolling hills.
It's dark and deep
From where I came
But here,
the sun dances
On the golden grass
On the side of the road.

Down there,
at the start
I knew I had
to keep going.
But I started to doubt.
Now I know,
There was nothing
to doubt.

I made it
And that's
all that counts.

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