Marathon Man

 

How to sketch the physiognomy of

the man friends and acquaintances know

as a triathlete for whom no physical

challenge has ever been a daunting prospect

and who even now has the demeanor and

physique of an athlete bursting with an

abundance of nervous and physical 

energy his wife laughs of in despair

for she lives with the agonizing pain

and suffering while we only see glimpses

of it now and again wondering how it can

be sustained and how it is possible that a

man with such physical resources and

enduring stamina has been left reeling

in the wake of sequential failures of

body parts requiring surgical interventions

therapies, patience and brief intermissions

when relief signals him to address those

beckoning hurdles to break more records

even as his body breaks, a body worn by

a man whose police rapid-response work

failed to satisfy his urges exposing him to

recurring danger, pursuing prowess in

setting standards and outdistancing them.

He is stoic, this man, in his suffering, taking

comfort from the concerns expressed by

friends wishing him a swift recovery from

the latest of so many surgeries destined to

restore his failing body for yet another and

another glorious exertion extraordinaire.