2007 HONORABLE MENTION

PEACEFUL RUNNER
Jessica Chavez
18 years old, Nebraska

In the northern woods where she runs,
Her eyes are partially closed
As she breathes deeply,
Sucking air in through her nose,
Smelling the pine, the summer,
The heat.
She glides, foot in front of foot.
She accelerates across a field,
The land applauding her perfect being.
The sun glows, creating pinpoints
Around her body;
She is but a silhouette
Across vast, applauding grassland.

This woman is no stranger
To the peaceful outdoors.
Her strides have graced
The plains of the Midwest.
Her lungs have weathered
The high-altitude footpaths of the Rockies.
Her bare feet have crushed
The sand across a Golden coast.
Her legs have carried her
Past a breathtaking sunrise
Along the Atlantic shore.

She has seen the beauty of America
Through the eyes of one who is free.
The challenge is to never stop running
Toward freedom
Without freedom,
Without the human dream,
One can never expect to achieve peace
Of mind, of body or of soul. J
ust as the woman is able to run peacefully
Across the lands of her country
So should any man or woman of the world.