PROMPT: Physical Exercise

What is your favorite form of physical exercise?

I play no favorites. I love calisthenics, yogasana, running, swimming, functional movement, movement drills (e.g. martial arts,) etc.

I do have least favorites though, and – collectively – those are exercises where I have to go somewhere in particular to have access to some specialized equipment. So, for example, I don’t care for weight lifting or using ellipticals or climbers, etc. (I still enjoy the exercise well enough, but it’s more hassle than it needs to be.)

My whole equipment inventory consists of a yoga mat, a pull-up / dip apparatus, and a few resistance bands, and I can make do without those quite nicely — e.g. when traveling.

Mangrove Movement [Haiku]

grasses sway,
 the egret stalks, & even
  tree roots seem to crawl.

Tree Taiji [Haiku]

“turn left to go right”:
branches sweep around in arcs,
is the tree moving?

PROMPT: Walk or Run

How often do you walk or run?

Every day. And sometimes I crawl, and – if there are monkey bars – I swing.

Placid River [Haiku]

the river’s flow
doesn’t disturb the cloud’s
reflected drift.

Cross Movement [Haiku]

water flows - mutely -
 below the train which roars 
  through, hourly

Duck Do-Si-Do [Haiku]

a duck trio
 does a lazy do-si-do
  with eyes closed.

Boats in Motion [Haiku]

boats rise & roll
with constant motion; as
gentle waves lap ashore.

Fluid Movement [Haiku]

floating downstream,
 moving unpredictably:
  a dry leaf. 

Machine Flow [Free Verse]

This machine can flow,
     moving over, around, 
     & through.

Skin conforms to the contours
     of musculature.

Muscle binds to bone,
     muscle that thickens
     and lengthens and ripples
     and pulses.

Bones that flex and recoil.

But that machine can flow --
     over, around, and through.

It can cause air to pop
     and water to slosh
     and earth to tremor.

It crawls through liquid,
    slices through gases,
    and slams the solids,

but can move over, around,
    and through.