I dream'd that was the new City of Friends;

Nothing was greater there than the quality of robust 
love—it led the rest;

It was seen every hour in the actions of the men of 
that city,

And in all their looks and words.
-Walt Whitman

-Langston Hughes

-Carl Sandburg

A fairer House than Prose –

More numerous of Windows –

Superior – for Doors –

Of Chambers as the Cedars –

Impregnable of eye –

And for an everlasting Roof

The Gambrels of the Sky –

Of Visitors – the fairest –

For Occupation – This –

The spreading wide my narrow Hands

To gather Paradise 

-Emily Dickinson

      Does it dry up

      like a raisin in the sun?

      Or fester like a sore—

      And then run?

      Does it stink like rotten meat?

      Or crust and sugar over—

      like a syrupy sweet?

      Maybe it just sags

      like a heavy load.

      Or does it explode?
-Langston Hughes

A jumbled thought

An aspiration

A simple want

The work went in

Because you believed

The satisfaction of

A dream achieved 
-Mary Walton

One thought starts a journey

Of a 100 mile length

As the gun goes off

The soft shuffle of feet;

Drowns Out all other sounds 

Slowly, I settle into a rythme

The miles slowly pass by

One by one 

As I steadily move forward

I look up and I’m off trail 

Panic sets in

I must remain calm

As I retrace my steps 

Back to the trail

As darknesses fingers

Reach towards me

I find comfort in;

In the all encompassing darkness

My headlamps gentle light

Guiding me forward

As I continue into the night

As fatigue sets in

I know I can’t give in

To the yearning wan’t for sleep

The sun’s warming rays pierce;

Through the trees

The light of a new day

Brings about new hope

As the last aid station comes into view 

I know the final miles are ahead

The twinge in my left calf has morphed into a stabbing pain;

With every step I feel it telling me to stop 

The idea of dropping out comes to my mind;

The sleeping bags laying in the aid station seem to beckon;

Telling me to lay down

I hear loud beeping 

As I open my eyes 

I realize it was all just a dream

With a big question for me to answer

I know of only one way to truly answer this question
-Owen Koppe