Toward a Better End

He rarely rested
Hardly treaded
Swam forward
Pushing through
A thickening water
Wearing out his arms and legs
Weaving through uneven lanes
Curve and swerve
Inching ahead
To touch the finish wall
But never quite there
A goal out of range
His crawl heavier and slower
Emotions simmering to boil
At the forever of it
A growing smolder enough
To set the water on fire
But he bottled it
And buried it
Deeper and deeper
The long, long lap
The race finishing only
At an unachieved end