"The Gift of Walking"

Walking tells me I am alive.

To know it as a gift makes it 

all the more precious. 

Stiffening with age and a crooked back, 

walking asks me to focus, 

to never stop walking.

Each day, I am given the gift of walking

tied with ribbons of muscle and sinew

to be oiled and polished with stretch and bend

To breathe the air; to smell the rain

To feel the sun on my face

To feel the wind in my hair.

To know where my feet are planted

To feel the strength in my legs

To stride out with purpose

Walking tells me I am alive.

To know it as a gift makes it 

all the more precious. 

“To walk like a person who will never forget the gift of walking.”

~ Andrea Gibson, poet

(Aug13, 1975 ~ July 14, 2025)