Beyond the atrium
where the cross-country team
came Saturday mornings
to wake Casimiro
from his weekend slumber
to run miles with the team
his confused grandmother
overwhelmed by the boys
woke her sleeping grandson
Casimiro geared up
fast like a Minute Man
and left to beat the streets
they ran for miles for fun
nothing too serious
a light-hearted practice
only at the races
did determination
grit and guts come to play
freshman and sophomores ply
their trade as their skills build
but the varsity team
dedicated to win
with glory or to lose
with dignity honor
they ran their best as fast
as their bodies allowed
only one comes in first
Casimiro won once
for Edison High School
against Huntington Beach
he was reprimanded
afterwards by his coach
for waiting much too long
to use his kick to beat
the other team surprise
this kid has energy
and a secret weapon
hidden inside his legs
an arsenal of gears
and a strategic plan
when he's in contention
but now never again
Casimiro never
took criticism well
then the injuries came
broken wrist by Ronnie
playing a joke on him
pushing him off a ledge
and forgetting to grab
him before gravity
let him fall on his hand
at Sunset League Finals
Casimiro finished
in eighth place while the first
seven move on to state
championship races
they joked he ran his balls
off when the boys team came
to visit him in bed
after his surgery
torsion of testicle
he gave one for the team
after his depression
set in he gave notice
to his coach to play drums
with his band Signal Red
the lead singer gave up
running cross-country too
no college scholarships
their eggs in one basket
hope found only to lose
when they threw in the towel
Casimiro began
writing poems after
he sold his old drum kit
never to play again
always so heartbreaking
watching other drummers
play live during concerts
he looked back on his youth
full of wild decisions
reckless with rebellion
to understand and learn
about society
our social dysfunction
ingrained in systemic
structural hate machines
bio-robotic droids
that look just like people
and run like Usain Bolt
Casimiro started
running the marathon
in Chicago three years
ago but misses trails
nowhere near the city
he decided to call
home in his neighborhood
of Hyde Park a South Side
anomaly of wealth
within structures of hate
neglect and poverty
based on theories of race
class privilege and power
a shining example
of forced integration
desegregation based
on iniquity laws
created to uphold
principles the founders
themselves did not believe
Casimiro seeks change
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