That first summer when we met
When we ran through field on field
Sunshine lengthened days so we scarcely slept
And as we raced, neither of us would yield
But ran instead to win

That summer I remember well
Enchanted by a world I hardly knew
When first I fell into what was your spell
A pace I could not keep, a love that grew
And grew, nurtured, kept within

A summer when we saw such things
Once a rabbit caught by a roadside
The sadness that nature brings
It writhed in the throes of death, you lied
And said it would survive

Then another summer when we met again
When we found the time
Despite the cold, despite the rain
To cross wet pathways mired in slime
And still we had the drive

That second summer when we ran
Breathless, drained, you fought your fate
It never should have been you; stubborn
So out we went and returned
Exhausted, satisfied, you sought to stay alive