Movement Manifesto, Jessica Markham

Movement Manifesto

Down a long corridor
or a sidewalk stretching into infinity -
Which way will I go?
How far will I travel?
I don't know for certain.

Rhythm is my leader
who takes me beyond limits
and tells me to go, to move,
and so, I press along,
skipping over pavement,
leaping over the cracks.
The sweat beads on my brow
glisten in the sunlight,
shining before they fall.

Falling, stumbling, tripping -
These are possibilities,
but I do not falter.
Instead, I move, I jump,
I skip, I leap, I run
with my shadow nearby me
casting itself thin and long.

--Jessica Markham