"Rushing To Where?"

I sped along the countryside

With little time to waste

I peddled hard, changing gears

Cold wind tore at my face

Around the bends, beside cow fields

I pushed yet on and on

My destination still miles ahead

No time to tarry long

The hills they seemed to come like waves

Endless in their approach

My legs, they tried to ask for rest

But sharp came the reproach

“No not now! Not ever really!

For time is precious yet

We must push on to where we go

To meet the goals we set”

Up ahead, a downhill spanned

Beckoning a break

But my beliefs, though they were old

Were quick to overtake

Instinctively, I shifted up

To pedal down the hill

When suddenly, and quite abrupt

My body just went still

And there like ice in frozen state

I paused to feel the ride

The road flew by with no remorse

As wonder filled my eyes

I looked around and saw the world

Just waiting to be seen

The beauty I had rushed on by

Was now smiling at me

I couldn’t help but take a breath

And let the pressure go

Why must I push and push and push

To every place I go?

And what is life and why to live

To value speed the most

For then I miss the in-betweens

That pass when I don’t coast

It seems sometimes, that I forget

While planning out my day

Life is not a race to win

No medals at the grave

And yet I have, quite a fear

Of slowing down in life

But maybe I can start real small

Like coasting on my ride

-Abigail Hobbs 1-23-25