April’s Fool

April is NaPoWriMo, a brash and potentially brave experiment in the writing of daily poetry.  Today is Day 1.

when I walk through the glass doors, I notice
a new guy behind the desk at the gym
I, the veteran, magnanimously nod hello
even as I realize he might have started here many months ago
I am the new guy
the renewed guy
coming back the day after Easter
a tiny bit of resurrection
for my bedraggled body
coming back to life
on April Fool’s Day

remembering the routine
wiping down the elliptical machine
starting to input the data
then slowing to a stop
with the remembrance
that my weight
is a necessary part of the calculation
so striding to the scales
for that new bit of information

muscles protest
lungs burn
sweat seeps
head aches

this could be a long month