Winning

He was so excited, he just couldn't wait He'd often check the calendar and reconfirm the date He was a child of struggles, challenged some would say Mental disabilities his progress would delay But he was not to be denied, he knew not of defeat Because of Special Olympics he was able to compete When the special day arrived, devoid of any fears He happily joined the others, a collection of his peers I heard the starter call their names and prepare them for their race He gave a wave and smiled at me, joy written on his face At last when the gun sounded and left them to their fate The runners all surged forward with their ungainly gait As they approached the first curve, he was giving it his all When suddenly without warning I saw him trip and fall My heart I think stopped beating as I saw him start to rise And I couldn't stop the tears from welling in my eyes But then a strange thing happened, two others in the meet Came back and stopped beside him and helped him to his feet Together they began to run, well behind the rest But it didn't seem to matter, toward the finish line they pressed And holding hands they finished well behind the winners pace They didn't care that they were last, but that they'd run the race Since then I often ask myself as new challenges I face How do I define winning. How will I run my race 1st place in"A Fragment Of Life" contest Written Jun 22,2011 Bob Quigley