sjsprWriting

My heartbeat is forceful, yet steady. My breath is light, but even. My body is drenched in varying coolness and radiating warmth. There is a soft and swift pounding and a fire in my feet propelling me forward. I am running in a 5K, and I’m in 5th place right now with one mile to go. I want to win; it’s been my dream to come first in one of these events my whole life. I push my legs harder to run faster, getting myself to second place. I see the archway that marks the finish line, the other opponent and I are head to head, we both want to win. We are about to cross it, I push myself a little harder, past the pain and past my competition. I WON, I CAME FIRST. There was a pounding in my ears: a combination of the blood rushing through my head and the roaring cheers. At the award ceremony, everyone wanted to know who I was and what motivated me to do this. Photo flashes being taken left to right, people screaming my name, I finally got the recognition I’ve always wanted.

“Come on hun, wake up,” my mom says, adjusting my legs to the side of the bed to help me get up onto my wheelchair.

A wetness blurred my eyesight and warmed my cheek until the tear landed on the seat. That’s when I realized that my realities will never be dreams and that my dreams will never be my reality.