Coming from behind, sister

    
Then I took up running    
In my early thirties I began….and all too soon...ran... my first 10 mile race…    
in Stirling... no'then Loosiana…    
   
There were only two of us ladies...the third lady never showed.(it was back in the day)    
   
That morning... before the race began...I saw her loosening up…    
She was surrounded...by a pack of high school boys…    
all struttin' they stuff...showin' off front o' this pretty little black girl...as teenage boys do.    
I notice she goes to start right out front...followed, of course by the boys.    
   
My boyfriend, Mike, dove into the pack... about ten runners back... (Mike came in nineteenth) ...and I started looking around...I figured I'se gonna git run'd over by anybody with the misfo'tune to be behind me...so I walked on down...  
to the end of the meadow and started in very last place…I had nowhere to go but up...    
   
Needless to say…I was a pretty slow runner… but nonetheless… I persisted...    
I passed sixty-five people that morning...better than half the field...and not a woman among them...wonder of wonders…    
   
Now, when I finally crossed the finish line two hours later...    
that young lady from Abbeville...who came in ninth by the way...    
ran out and gave me a great huge hug…    
on account of today…    
   
I was the second fastest woman in all of no'then Loosiana.