Not eight words…

The soreness kicks in two days later.

The attack of unbearable heavy breathing
that followed the rapid climb from the beach
felt like punishment enough
at the time;

clearly, my body is not done with me yet.

The small aches in joints and limbs
I took as signs to exercise caution—
but now I wonder
if I was supposed to push through them instead,

with perhaps an exception for heavy lifting.

It is not enough that I am jittery;
no, the suggestion seems to be
that I remain in perpetual motion,
a land-bound shark with a predilection for oxygen

who will die if he stops moving.

(26 August 2017)