Winter ambushes me as I
step out into the frosty dawn.
Chilly air whips my face
‘til all my sleepiness is gone.

I start out in a rapid run
at an exhilarating pace,
the wind splashing in buckets
against my frozen face.

At a fast staccato rhythm
my heart spastically beats,
as the pristine snow crunches
beneath my sneakered feet.

Anger, pain, and sadness
leave my body and mind,
until it’s just me
and the invigorating scent of pine.

Today, life isn’t around me,
but within my every fiber.
It pulses through my veins,
as energizing as sweet cider.

I finally understand
what it is like
not to merely survive,
but to live life.