Racehorse

I was running in the drumroll of hooves
the shouts, the sting of leather, the sharp smell of sweat
I was running over a soft depth of grass
I was running with the cold air in my lungs
I was running when my leg crumbled, wobbled, would not support me, would not let me run,
I was running in the mud and the broken grass when the others left me behind and I leaped up
to follow them through the shattering pain,
I was still running,
I am still running now.