As promised, the final poetry collection from last month poetry month is here. We invite you to continue the journey below, to mull over the poems, sit with them, and soak in their stanzas until you feel their rhythm in your bones.

In this life

By Melissa Castillo (She/Her)

I want to learn what happiness is

not twirl around a signpost joy

or pop the bottle celebration

but a daily breath

in and out with

nothing attached

Today,

all my happiness is memorialized

by ink stains and ink pain

so I wonder

How can pain represent happiness?

or was that simply joy.

Maybe I am farther away than I thought.

I think happiness is self-knowledge

a confidence to sing out of tune

or sit naked in a bathtub

with only wonder

basking in the glow of one more

of the creator’s beautiful bodies

Today,

I remember a bubble bath

I had just run a marathon

And we had not yet said I love

this beautiful bath standing

in between

And I breathed easily

And I breathed my body

And I breathed you

And time stood still

Maybe happiness is not a dream

but a patchwork quilt we must sew together

because I can’t run away every time

sometimes I must stand still

and baths will eventually prune my fingers

Maybe happiness starts with a memory

a memory in this life.

Why PPTC

By Daniel Evans (He/Him)

There once was a man took up running,

But PRs his body was shunning,

He found a new crew,

Who liked a strong brew,

And now his performance is humming.

Teams

By Rachel Harris (She/Her)

There are two types of people

Those who truly believe everything will always be ok and

Those who do not

People who do not believe everything will always be ok,

Are scared

Petrified of the future, riddled with anxiety about success and daunted by the comparison of

others

People who believe everything will always be ok have faith that one way or another things have

a way of working themselves out

Running is for both types of people

Those who believe everything will be ok and those who do not are met with the same challenges

of running the same race or path

Teams are filled with pessimists and optimists

Sometimes we even switch teams for the better.

Runners Haiku

by Melissa Castillo

A view from above of blue Brooks running shoes on pavement. — photo by Rachael DePalma

high on shoelaces

I breath the morning sunshine

untie me new world

We hope that you all enjoyed reading the poems of our members and found solace in their words. Their works will always be here when you’re looking for peace or inspiration or memories the pieces evoke.

Poets: Melissa Castillo, Daniel Evans, Rachel Harris, D L Newton

PPTC is a diverse and supportive team. We want to celebrate the diversity
of our club and membership. We welcome and encourage everyone to
share their stories with us.

PPTC Poetry Collection III