A Day at the Races

Stepping out with ticket in hand

And hope riding high on a yet unseen steed,

I stand in awe of the spectacle,

Unknowing of where the adventure may lead.

 

Unlike those to whom the event is

A common occurrence, a daily routine,

Mine is a mindset of fresh undertaking,

Reviving old memories evoked by the scene.

 

The oval of sand and sod stretching out

And around the lush pasture of freshly mown green.

The anticipation of speed, grace and power

Makes me feel like a child of sixteen.

 

The princely procession parades for the masses,

Stately and proud their colors display.

Noble demeanor etched in their faces;

Confident, each one, that this is their day.

 

The strutting completed, each one takes their places,

Guarded and stroked by encouraging hands

Until, on a cue, the portals burst open

And power emerges to meet their demands.

Around the wide oval they unleash their power,

Demeanor abandoned, forsaken for speed.

Muscular strides of sinew and sweat

Stretching and straining to get to the lead.

Around the turns race the thundering hoard

Attacking and churning and tearing the track.

Surging and soaring to stretch for the forefront;

No time to pause, demure or look back.

 

And now to the stretch, as they run for the wire,

Unbridled excitement and tension abound.

Knowing that one and only one

Can lay his claim on the winner's crown.

And all who are standing and urging them on,

With a lump crying deep in the pit of their throat,

Pray that the ticket they clutch to their breast

Will offer them the honor to gloat.

 

And now the great mass of sinew and flesh

Break their stride as the race is at end.

And I look at my ticket, tear it in half,

And go back to the window again.

 

Next race in twenty minutes.