Miles of Grit

Before the dawn, I rise and ride,
Legs like stone, lungs stretched wide.
Gravel roads become my prayer,
Spinning through pain, gasping air.

Unbound waits—one hundred miles,
Through Kansas dust and brutal trials.
Each climb I face, each breath I take,
Is built on choices others break.

I’ve trained through storms, through aching bone,
Pushed past the doubt when I felt alone.
Skipped birthdays, dinners, bedtime songs—
Chasing this dream for far too long.

But guilt, it rides my back some days,
When pedals steal the time that stays.
My family waits while I chase more,
Yet still they meet me at the door.

And then—the race.
Heat and grit beneath the sky,
Mile after mile, I wonder why.
Cramped legs scream, the wind cuts deep,
I think of every night I lost sleep.

But near the end—I see them there,
My son,  my love, their arms in air.
Cheering loud with muddy pride,
As tears break loose I’ve tried to hide.

This isn’t just about the ride.
It’s every moment I almost cried.
It’s every hill, each stubborn scar,
And all the hearts who brought me far.

The finish line—just gravel and paint,
But it holds the weight of what I ain’t:
A quitter. A shadow. A halfway flame—
No. I burned through every claim.

Proud not just of what I did,
But of the ones who let me live
This wild, relentless, grinding dream—
Together strong. A human team.

© 2025 Shawn Oen. All rights reserved.

The flame was afraid to leave,
Did not want to be,
In a lamp,
A fire pit,
Alone.

Yet it can still shone,
To carry on,
And be the light,
For those in fright,
To signify those who carry him are not alone,
And with that,
He found his home.

I let the light fade away,
to chase an unattainable dream.
My thoughts assail the blistering glow,
a silent echo of what I know.

I wander the endless fields of lore,
never looking back, nor doubting more.
For I have embraced my truth at last,
and paid the price for sins long past.

Now, this once empty shell stirs to life again,
clinging to old habits, reliving the past.
Only time will tell if my penance was in vain,
or if redemption still lingers beyond the veil.

What happens when you finally decide
to change what you’re doing and swallow your pride?
Is it like when the fog clears away
and you find where you stand?
 
Or is it more like the unveiling of art,
struck by what you see yet unsure in your heart,
because it is nothing at all
like what you had planned?
 
For with resolution comes new eyes to see,
and new understanding of how things can be.
Yes, new faith that changes the path
of what lies ahead.
 
For everything’s different the day you decide
to follow your heart and let go of your pride.
You’re no longer a prisoner…
but rather a free man instead.

Nothing can stop the unquenchable fire,
fed by the flame of the deepest desire.
 
Born of a purpose, intent that is true
in the one who's determined to do what they do.
 
One who believes it can always be done.
One who won't quit till the battle is won.
 
One who gets up every time that they fall.
One who dreams big, regardless how small
 
they may seem in this world of confusion and doubt.
No, nothing can stop one who's figured it out –
 
that the universe bends to the purpose and fire
of the one who holds true… to their deepest desire.

I unspool the silence,
shed the smallness
in my head.

I take it all in,
let my voice swell—
and no longer ask
permission to exit the room.

You turned up suddenly in my life.
I wasn’t expected at all.
You was so determined and daring.
You hold me tightly in whole.

You understood what to do,
What I wanted and dreamed about.
Even though you knew me a bit,
You knew what I needed just now.

And unnoticed, in a half whisper,
You appeared beside me
As the rustle of leaves, the wind sound.
I don’t know how it could be.

It’s like you are on “Replay”
All day long till it’s dark.
When the night comes and I fall asleep,
You are with me stark!