Worthy Foe

I carry a burden of decades…

It lingers in my lungs,

It hangs heavy in my mind,

It follows as shadows do.

But, we toil today…

Like a mask, I shed you

And you struggle,

And we breathe together.

My mind is cloudy

And you mock me in whispers,

My blood screams behind

The sweat of our years…

I approach the crest...

And you drag at my heels,

But I pull ahead, with a smile

As you claw within my brow.

I tire of the struggle, victorious

But I feel your heat,

You sit and wait... always ready.

A worthy foe…

                        Shannon R Killman