Run

I run because

running for my life

is no longer self preservation,

but self love.

I run because

it teaches me again and again

not how my body has failed me,

but how my body has carried me

through the darkness.

I run because

food is not a reward to be earned,

but fuel for my goals.

I run because

of all the labels others have placed upon me,

runner is one I get to claim for myself.

I run because

my shoes pounding on the ground,

my breath filling my lungs,

my heart coursing life through my veins,

reminds me that I am a person.

I run because

I am a survivor.