Injury

Running along carelessly
Eyes focused on the goal
Propelled by an unseen force
Lurching my entire being forward
Against its will
Colliding into the unsuspecting girl
Realizing that I am about to fall
That it is certain
Responding with frozen self-awareness
Ceasing all motion
Knees locking, body tightening inward
The apology dropping sloppily from my lips
As another crashes into me
And all that had steadied me
Blew out from beneath
The long, strong legs that have carried me
Through marathons, through storms
Down the streets that led me to you
Where the words still echo
Hauntingly in my ears
As they foreshadowed a truth
That was yet unknown to me
She did it to herself
Says my myopic opponent
The words rouse my venom
While the irony tends the wound.