Race me across the universe,
I ask
Race me across the stars.

Let me feel the comets in my hair
And a tropical storm on my face.
Let me feel my feet sink deeper and deeper
Into the thick mud of the rainforest,
Only to fly deftly off of my heel when I reach the sand.

Race me to the moon,
I beg
Race me until we're lost
Because this is nothing we learned in our science class
When we studied the solar system on a coat hanger mobile.

Race me into oblivion -
Race me until I can't think, or feel, or be;

Or at least
Race me to the end of the yard
And into the house
Where Mom is making spaghetti with the dishes crash, crash, clanging
As the world stands still all around her
And time catches in clusters in her damp hair.